Report A Hazard Skill
Reporting a public problem should be simple and usually isn't: the report goes to the
wrong department, lacks the details needed to action it, or vanishes with no
reference number, so nothing happens and the reporter gives up. Councils and agencies
do fix things — they fix the reports that land in the right queue with a precise
location, evidence, and a hazard framing that raises the priority. This skill writes
that report, routes it to the channel that owns it, captures a tracking reference, and
sets up the escalation for when the first report is ignored.
What This Skill Produces
- The right channel: which department/agency owns this problem and the best way to
reach them (the official app/portal/line — many places have a dedicated
report-it system)
- A submit-ready report: precise location, what/when/how-bad, a safety framing
where genuine, and a photo checklist — the details that move it from "logged" to
"scheduled"
- A tracking plan: getting a reference number and what response time is reasonable
before chasing
- An escalation path: what to do if it's ignored or bounced — re-report with the
reference, go to the supervisor/councillor, and the safety-emergency line for
anything actually dangerous now
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not already provided):
- The problem and exactly where it is (an address, cross-streets, a what3words/pin —
vague location is the #1 reason reports stall)
- How dangerous it is right now (a live gas smell or downed power line is an emergency,
not a report) and who's affected
- Where they are (country/area — channels are local) and whether they've reported it
before
- Any evidence they have (photos, dates, recurrence)
Framework
- Triage danger first. If it's an immediate threat to life — gas leak, live wire,
structural collapse, active flooding — that's an emergency line, not a hazard
report. The skill separates "report it" from "call emergency services now" before
anything else.
- Route to the owner. Potholes/roads, streetlights, fly-tipping, drainage,
building/code violations, environmental hazards each have a different owner (roads
authority vs council vs utility vs environmental agency). Reporting to the wrong one
is the classic dead end; identify the owner and its official report channel.
- Write the report that gets actioned. Precise location beats everything (an exact
address or pin, not "near the shops"); then what it is, how long it's been there,
how bad, who's at risk, and photos. Frame genuine safety impact honestly — a
"hazard to cyclists/children" is prioritized over a cosmetic complaint, but don't
inflate.
- Capture the reference and set the clock. Get a tracking/reference number, note
the channel's stated response time, and diarize a chase date. A report you can't
reference is a report you can't escalate.
- Escalate when ignored. If nothing happens: re-contact with the reference,
escalate to a supervisor or your local councillor ([[elected-rep-letter]]), and for
persistent public-safety issues, add visibility. Multiple neighbors reporting the
same thing raises priority — say so.
Output Format
## Is it an emergency? (check first)
[If immediate danger → the emergency line, not this. Otherwise, proceed.]
## The right channel
[Department/agency that owns it · the official report route for your area]
## Your report (submit this)
Exact location: … · What/when/severity: … · Who's at risk: … · Photos: [checklist]
## Track it
[Get a reference number · reasonable response time · when to chase]
## If it's ignored
[Re-report with reference → supervisor/councillor → visibility · neighbors reporting too]
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
Related
[[elected-rep-letter]] and [[speak-at-the-council]] for escalation; [[permit-navigator]]
for the other side of local government; [[scam-message-decoder]] if a "pay to fix your
report" message appears.
1---2name: report-a-hazard3description: Report a public hazard or code problem to the authority that can actually fix it — a pothole, broken streetlight, illegal dump, unsafe building, code violation, blocked drain — with the right department, the details that get it actioned, a tracking reference, and an escalation path if it's ignored. Use when someone says 'how do I report a pothole/hazard/violation', 'the council won't fix X', or 'who do I call about Y'. Produces a report ready to submit, the right channel, and a follow-up plan.4---5
6# Report A Hazard Skill
7
8Reporting a public problem should be simple and usually isn't: the report goes to the
9wrong department, lacks the details needed to action it, or vanishes with no
10reference number, so nothing happens and the reporter gives up. Councils and agencies
11*do* fix things — they fix the reports that land in the right queue with a precise
12location, evidence, and a hazard framing that raises the priority. This skill writes
13that report, routes it to the channel that owns it, captures a tracking reference, and
14sets up the escalation for when the first report is ignored.
15
16## What This Skill Produces
17
18- The **right channel**: which department/agency owns this problem and the best way to
19 reach them (the official app/portal/line — many places have a dedicated
20 report-it system)
21- A **submit-ready report**: precise location, what/when/how-bad, a safety framing
22 where genuine, and a photo checklist — the details that move it from "logged" to
23 "scheduled"
24- A **tracking plan**: getting a reference number and what response time is reasonable
25 before chasing
26- An **escalation path**: what to do if it's ignored or bounced — re-report with the
27 reference, go to the supervisor/councillor, and the safety-emergency line for
28 anything actually dangerous now
29
30## Required Inputs
31
32Ask for (if not already provided):
33- The problem and exactly where it is (an address, cross-streets, a what3words/pin —
34 vague location is the #1 reason reports stall)
35- How dangerous it is right now (a live gas smell or downed power line is an emergency,
36 not a report) and who's affected
37- Where they are (country/area — channels are local) and whether they've reported it
38 before
39- Any evidence they have (photos, dates, recurrence)
40
41## Framework
42
431. **Triage danger first.** If it's an immediate threat to life — gas leak, live wire,
44 structural collapse, active flooding — that's an emergency line, not a hazard
45 report. The skill separates "report it" from "call emergency services now" before
46 anything else.
472. **Route to the owner.** Potholes/roads, streetlights, fly-tipping, drainage,
48 building/code violations, environmental hazards each have a different owner (roads
49 authority vs council vs utility vs environmental agency). Reporting to the wrong one
50 is the classic dead end; identify the owner and its official report channel.
513. **Write the report that gets actioned.** Precise location beats everything (an exact
52 address or pin, not "near the shops"); then what it is, how long it's been there,
53 how bad, who's at risk, and photos. Frame genuine safety impact honestly — a
54 "hazard to cyclists/children" is prioritized over a cosmetic complaint, but don't
55 inflate.
564. **Capture the reference and set the clock.** Get a tracking/reference number, note
57 the channel's stated response time, and diarize a chase date. A report you can't
58 reference is a report you can't escalate.
595. **Escalate when ignored.** If nothing happens: re-contact with the reference,
60 escalate to a supervisor or your local councillor ([[elected-rep-letter]]), and for
61 persistent public-safety issues, add visibility. Multiple neighbors reporting the
62 same thing raises priority — say so.
63
64## Output Format
65
66```
67## Is it an emergency? (check first)
68[If immediate danger → the emergency line, not this. Otherwise, proceed.]
69
70## The right channel
71[Department/agency that owns it · the official report route for your area]
72
73## Your report (submit this)
74Exact location: … · What/when/severity: … · Who's at risk: … · Photos: [checklist]
75
76## Track it
77[Get a reference number · reasonable response time · when to chase]
78
79## If it's ignored
80[Re-report with reference → supervisor/councillor → visibility · neighbors reporting too]
81```
82
83## Quality Checks
84
85- [ ] Immediate-danger cases are diverted to emergency services before anything else
86- [ ] The report is routed to the department that actually owns the problem
87- [ ] The report leads with a precise, unambiguous location
88- [ ] Getting and keeping a tracking reference is built in
89- [ ] An escalation path exists for the ignored report
90
91## Anti-Patterns
92
93- [ ] Do not treat a live emergency as a routine report — triage danger first
94- [ ] Do not assert a specific area's channels or response times as fact — route to the
95 official report system and verify
96- [ ] Do not inflate severity to jump the queue — an honest safety framing works;
97 crying wolf burns credibility
98- [ ] Do not submit without a precise location — it's the difference between fixed and filed
99- [ ] Do not stop at one ignored report — the escalation is where stubborn problems get fixed
100
101## Related
102
103[[elected-rep-letter]] and [[speak-at-the-council]] for escalation; [[permit-navigator]]
104for the other side of local government; [[scam-message-decoder]] if a "pay to fix your
105report" message appears.
Mohit Aggarwal