NEW CHARITY LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT UK’S INDEPENDENT LIFEBOATS
The National Independent Lifeboat Association (NILA) is a new charity established to support the UK’s independent lifeboats – those that are not affiliated with the Royal National Lifeboat Association (RNLI) – and to ensure the preservation and protection of life on...
MERSEYSIDE FIREFIGHTERS TAKE INDUSTRIAL ACTION
Merseyside firefighters are taking industrial action by refusing to undertake pre-arranged overtime. The strike action, which started on 1 December for up to six months, follows the successful ballot of Merseyside Fire Brigades Union members, which returned a result...
NEW CHAIR APPOINTED TO NATIONAL POLICE CHIEFS’ COUNCIL
Surrey Chief Constable Gavin Stephens has been elected to Chair the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which brings forces across the UK together to co-ordinate, reform, and improve policing. He will take up his post in April 2023, when the outgoing Chair Martin...
DRONES – A ‘GAME CHANGER’ FOR SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAMS
Drones have increasingly become an essential part of the toolkit of Scottish mountain rescue teams, evidenced by the fact that today there are 19 pilots and 21 drones across nine mountain rescue member teams, whereas four years ago there were none. According to...
NEW CHAIR TAKES OVER AT AIRPORT FIRE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION
The new Chair of the Airport Fire Officers’ Association (AFOA), Barry Alderslade, took office for a one-year term in October, having succeeded longstanding AFOA Chair Simon Petts, while Kieran Merriman, CFO at BAE Systems, and Simon Lane, Deputy CFO at Airbus in...
RECORD NUMBERS ATTEND EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOW 2022
Over 10,100 visitors and buyers attended this year’s Emergency Services Show at the NEC in Birmingham on 21 and 22 September. The UK’s largest event for the emergency services attracted a record number for the first time in its history, with strong representation from...
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION SHOWCASE AT EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOW 2022
This year’s Emergency Services Show returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 21 and 22 September, and will showcase how technology and innovation continue to transform emergency response for all blue light services and first responders. Police, fire and rescue, ambulance and...
NEW TRAINING CENTRE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
Health Minister Robin Swann pictured with Cllr Robert Irvine, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Board, Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings, and Liam Murphy, Site Manager of Newry contractors Felix O’Hare and Co Ltd. The first sod of the...
MANCHESTER CHARITY DONATES PPE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS IN UKRAINE
Manchester-based charity The Skipasund Foundation has donated more than £1m of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to support the international aid efforts in Ukraine following its invasion by Russia. More than 220,000 protective suits, provided free of charge by the...
‘LONDON LIFESAVERS’ CAMPAIGN TO GET MORE LONDONERS ON BOARD
London Ambulance Service (LAS) is calling on all Londoners to join a lifesaving movement as part of its ‘London Lifesavers’ campaign to recruit and train 100,000 life savers who can perform chest compressions and use a defibrillator. LAS responded to almost 14,000...
ASSAULTS ON PRISON STAFF REMAINS A KEY CONCERN
Assaults on prison staff in England and Wales are on the rise once again, with an increase of 5% to 2,110 incidents (an average of almost 23 assaults daily during the quarter to September 2021), as revealed by recent UK government figures. The number of serious...
CRISIS GROWS AS AMBULANCE WAIT TIMES LEAVE LIVES AT RISK
Lives are at risk because ‘999’ callers face “unacceptable and appalling waiting times” for ambulances in England, according to the country’s top emergency medicine doctor. Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said that...
