Bringing together the emergency services

As the 2012 Olympics draws nearer, it will be vital for responders to discuss co-operation, ideas and initiatives focused on improving public safety and learn from each other in preparation for this major event. The first day of this year’s two day supporting conference will have a special focus on the challenges posed by the forthcoming 2010 Olympics. Featured speakers will include Peter Thorpe, head of Olympic Planning for London Ambulance, and Chair of the UK FRS Olympic Planning Group Jim Monk, London Fire Brigade, who will be presenting a national perspective of the challenges posed by the 2012 Olympics.

Building relationships
As part of a special overview looking at building relationships through training and interaction, there will be a number of presentations.

Derek Luff, development manager at the Fire Service College, is responsible for multi- agency training and exercises to enhance interoperability within the emergency services and response agencies. With Dr Helen Higham, consultant anaesthetist at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, they will be looking at casualty management and explaining the Casualty Management Centre (CMC). This is a new collaborative partnership between the Fire Service College and the University of Oxford’s OxSim Medical Simulation Centre to demonstrate to all agencies the use of the latest medical simulation technology ‘on scene’, within a realistic and challenging incident environment.

Chief fire officer, Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service will be speaking about Exercise Orion, a EU Civil Protection (EUCP) Mechanism exercise due to take place in September 2010. It will involve a live USAR exercise in Hampshire, complimented by another live exercise in Merseyside; staged over 56 hours. Four Strategic Co-ordinating Groups/Gold Commands sat in Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Merseyside and Lincolnshire and teams from nine countries plus an EUCP team will take part. UK multi-agency involvement will test command structures up to and including the Cabinet office and the EUCP mechanism will be tested within the UK structures for the first time. The exercise is funded by the largest grant so far of almost one million Euros following a bid by Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue, supported by Hampshire, Lincolnshire and the Fire Service College.

Dr Ben Weston, MoD, in partnership with the CCS and NPIA, will be looking at Project Radiance in his presentation ‘Steps towards a resilient, integrated approach to first responder communications and interoperability’.

Resilience and critical infrastructure
Day two of the conference will focus on resilience and the national critical infrastructure.

Dr Dave Sloggett is a recognised commentator and authority on the international security landscape from the Centre for Defence Studies, Kings College, London. He will give a key note speech on ‘Perspectives on the International Security Landscape: The Enduring Threat from International Terrorism’.

He will be joined by other high profile speakers including Mike Granatt, consultant to community resilience, Tony Owen, head of incident management, Environment Agency alongside Mark Leigh from the Emergency Planning College.

The Cabinet Office will host a series of focused workshops on ‘Improving the Resilience of the Critical Infrastructure.’ David Murphy, assistant director of the Natural Hazards Team, Cabinet Office, will discuss the consultation on the draft National Resilience Plan for Critical Infrastructure and lead the sessions, with each covering a specific topic on resilience, lasting approximately one hour.

See the whole picture
The Emergency Services Show is a unique annual event promoting multi-agency collaboration by bringing together everyone in the UK involved in an emergency (not just the emergency services) – from the strategic planners and first responders to the manufacturers and suppliers of equipment used by these leading professionals.

The Emergency Services Show 2010 exhibition will provide access to the latest technology, ideas and initiatives focused on improving public safety and protecting the environment and the Critical National Infrastructure. The show will be especially relevant in light of the current economic climate, with opportunities to speak to contemporaries and exhibitors to help with framework agreements, income generation/outsourcing and equipment requirements.

Exhibitors this year include air quality monitoring expert Enviro Technology who will be showcasing its high tech portable gas detector the GDA 2, which can be used by counter terrorism teams to detect chemicals in an incident and is currently being used in Europe. This small device uses combined sensor technology to detect and monitor over 300 common and hazardous gases, including chemical warfare agents, such as: Sarin, Lewisit, L and Cyclon B, AC.

Environmental instrumentation company Quantitech will feature two exciting new technologies for the detection of trace amounts of chemical warfare agents, explosives, drugs and toxic industrial chemicals. Other exhibitors include Envitia, a world leader in geospatial intelligence technologies, Public Safety Cycling showing its specially adapted bicycle fleet for the security and military sectors alongside others including Bluecher, Du Pont, Godiva, Remploy and WL Gore.

The event’s main sponsor is Community Resilience UK. The company can provide responders with secure empty office and warehouse space for use as: rest centres, survivor reception centres, friends and family reception centres, humanitarian assistance centres, body storage units and temporary mortuaries. These premises are provided pay-as-you-use and rent free for 30 days with no standby or setup fees. For further information visit www.communityresilience.cc

Where it all began
The Emergency Services Show was started in 2006 in direct response to the publication of The Civil Contingencies Act 2004. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 calls for a single framework for civil protection in the UK capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. Integral to the Act is the duty of all Category 1 and 2 Responders to share information and co-operate with other Category 1 and 2 Responders.

The event was created by Emergency Services (MMC) Ltd who has extensive experience working with those involved in the emergency sector and publishes Emergency Services Times, Fire Times and the annual Emergency Services Times Who’s Who Directory.

The two-day event is open to Category 1 and 2 Responders and is key for those with a role in operations, procurement, training, recruitment and emergency planning. The types of products on show from exhibitors include: Communications & IT, First Response Equipment, PPE, Station Equipment, Training & Education, Vehicles & Vehicle Equipment, Business Continuity, Outsourcing.

A two day conference runs alongside the exhibition and attracts high profile speakers, discussing relevant and topical issues and examples of best practice.

Continuing the success from 2009
Over 4,000 visitors attended The Emergency Services Show 2009. These visitors were from across all sectors and business types including:

• Police
• Fire and rescue Services
• Ambulance services
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• MoD
• NGOs and the voluntary sector
• Local Government Authorities
• Local/regional resilience teams
• Utility operators
• Transport including airports and port authorities
• Government agencies
• Health authorities and Primary Care Trusts
• Commercial businesses
• Embassies

Following the success of last year’s event, the Emergency Services Show 2010 will provide more opportunities to network and improve your relationships with other organisations to learn how you can work together more effectively to tackle the changing nature of today’s security challenges. It will also fulfill all your equipment and service needs.

Sponsored by Community Resilience, this year’s event will take place on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 November at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry. Registration for the free to attend exhibition and two day conference is now open. An Early Bird discount of 25 per cent is available to everyone who books a conference place on or before the 1 October 2010 with an additional ten per cent discount available for members of Emergency Planning Society, IFE/FPA, The College of Paramedics and members of a Local Resilience Forum.