Incident Response Playbook

Designed to help venues and events respond swiftly and effectively to a wide range of incidents, the Incident Response Playbook offers a suite of scenario-based guides — from suspicious items and evacuations to hostile threats, weather disruption, and medical emergencies. Aligned with national guidance and JESIP principles, it’s a vital resource for any organisation serious about preparedness. See here for a preview of the contents pages: Contents – DSC Incident Response Playbook 3rd Edition

Pay £15 to order your playbook or £24 for the resource bundle.

Overview of DSC Incident Response Playbook

Purpose and Context

The Decision Support Centre (DSC) Incident Response Playbook has been created as a comprehensive and practical guide for venues, events and organisations that need to prepare for, respond to and recover from a wide range of security and safety incidents.

The Playbook provides step-by-step, scenario-specific guidance that aligns with the legal duty to take “reasonable and practical” steps to protect the public.

The Playbook is particularly valuable for Responsible Persons, operations teams, safety officers and event organisers, as they develop incident response frameworks that are proportionate, effective and integrated into wider risk mitigation planning.

Scope of the Playbook

The Playbook is structured around high-risk, high-impact incident types, ensuring tailored guidance for each of the following scenarios and a selection of applicable templates:

Suspicious Items
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
Hostile Reconnaissance
Marauding Attacks (Knife/Gun)
Crowd Management Issues
Mass Casualty Events
Adverse or Severe Weather
Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT)
Lost or Missing Persons
Vulnerable Persons Assistance
Cybersecurity Breaches or Digital Disruption
Fire or Smoke Detection
Power Outages or Technical Failure
Dangerous Animal or Wildlife Intrusion
Handling Media and Press Attention
Media Interview Cheat Sheets
Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP)
Incident Reporting Template
Staff Briefing Template
Suspicious Item Reporting Form
Each section provides recognition indicators, immediate actions, communication protocols, escalation processes and post-incident recovery steps, empowering events and venues to respond quickly and safely while maintaining operational control and public confidence.

How to Use the Playbook

Integration with the DSC Toolkit

The Playbook works hand-in-hand with the DSC Toolkits, Compliance Templates and Responsible Persons Training to support ongoing preparedness. Each section links to practical tools such as:

Staff briefing checklists
Reporting templates
Media engagement scripts
Maps, signage protocols and evacuation templates
Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme (JESIP) – aligned incident reporting e.g. M/ETHANE
These resources ensure not only readiness for emergency events but also compliance with the legal documentation, training and procedural requirements of Martyn’s Law.

Practical Application for Responsible Persons

The Playbook can be:

Printed and added to on-site safety folders
Used in tabletop and live exercises
Referenced during Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meetings
It is designed to demystify emergency planning for grassroots and voluntary organisations, those less familiar with crisis management practices, without compromising on clarity or rigour.

Benefits to Venues and Events

Builds preparedness and resilience
Helps demonstrate risk assessment and mitigation
Enhances staff confidence and public safety
Encourages coordinated, confident responses
Reduces reliance on external consultants