Resilience

The clearest definition in the sources is in the Northern Ireland guide to emergency planning arrangements. It says resilience "is a concept which has come to the fore recently, as awareness has increased regarding the potential vulnerability of the national infrastructure which provides the essentials of life for the population", and that resilience is about an organisation's ability to respond effectively to emergencies or major incidents while also keeping its services from being inherently vulnerable to disruption.

At the national level the sources treat resilience as shared. The Be Ready website says "securing the resilience of the UK is a 'whole of society' endeavour": the UK Government provides leadership and builds capability nationally "whilst also relying on a wide range of others in society to play their part, from businesses to communities to individuals". The National Risk Register 2025 says that for communities a whole of society approach "means that where possible, communities recognise their role in, take responsibility and contribute to the UK's resilience", and that successful community resilience is often based on connection and relationships.

For a household the practical content is the Be Ready advice: three days of essentials, a plan, and knowing the local risks.