JUNE 2012
VOLUME 13 | 3
Medical Services Ltd is the UK’s largest independent Patient Transport Service provider, providing dependable, caring journeys for patients and cost effective, reliable transport solutions for commissioners
ᔡ News: joint working initiatives between emergency services – shared control rooms and joint Information Service functions ᔡ Olympics: security of the Olympic Torch Relay plus preparations in place by the public and voluntary sectors ᔡ The Emergency Services Show 2012 opens registration at www.emergencyuk.com ᔡ Interoperability: the Government’s support for the Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme ᔡ Specialist vehicle expert WH Bence showcases command and control units ᔡ PPE: a round up of products, from boots and helmets to outerwear and PFDs ᔡ Training: multiagency focus at The Fire Service College ᔡ A guide to some of the latest products and services available
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ISSN 1472-1090
CONTENTS | 1
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Regular features First Words The Independent Ambulance Associate joins the calls for a change to ‘blue light’ driving law
3
News Joint working initiatives highlighted, the HELP Appeal looks for helipad sites, the latest plans for emergency controls, the growth of SP Services means expansion for the Telford-based medical supplier, plus a student invention that could prove to be a lifesaver
4
Company Profile WH Bence, a front-runner in the design and build of specialist vehicles for the sector, showcases its latest command and control units
9
Events Registration opens for The Emergency Services Show 2012, AMBITION heads for Silverstone in September, details of the Lyon Technical Symposium 2012, plus a round up of forthcoming events
10
Contracts & People Shared HR system for three police forces, the Scottish Ambulance Service receives £34m for new vehicles and newly enhanced fire appliances in Oxford are set to carry defibrillators
28
Page 14 –The RNLI assist the Olympic Torch Relay.
Inside this issue Olympics The preparations of the emergency services for the Olympic Torch Relay, how the police and ambulances are taking a national approach, plus details from the RNLI and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
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Interoperability The Government’s support for the Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme, Operation Shannon tests the multiagency response to a refinery incident and Superintendent Paul Kinsella looks at interoperability opportunities in times of austerity
30
Wind Turbine Emergencies
34
Considerations for emergency responders to wind turbine emergencies
Independent Ambulance Services A focus on those independent ambulance services that have been registered by the CQC as part of a new system of regulation for the health and social care sector.
37
PPE A focus on Armadillo Merino®, which specialises in next-to-skin protective clothing using merino wool, plus a round-up of PPE products from boots and helmets to outerwear and personal flotation devices
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Training The multi-agency focus of The Fire Service College, preparing for flood events and training for CBRN response
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Product Information A mobile printer, a mobile ID checking system, personnel name badges, a powered-ascender, hardback cases, a lifting sling, a needle destruction device and a handheld heat-scanning device
70
Last Words Lynn Griffiths outlines the work her charity, CO-Awareness, is doing with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service to create a National CO Awareness Register
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NOT YOUR COPY? Register online today at
www.emergencyservicestimes.com Page 21 – Exercise Amber, hosted by the London Ambulance Service in May, tested Olympic preparations.
Emergency Services Times June 2012
2 | A-Z
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Companies Company Name
Page No
10,000 Volts..........................................................................................69 Active Informatics ................................................................................5 Airwave....................................................................................19, 31, 32 AMBITION 2012 ...............................................................................10 Armadillo Merino® ...........................................................................47 Arqiva...................................................................................................29 Association of Ambulance Chief Executives...................................69 Association of Chief Police Officers.......................................3, 31, 32 Avon and Somerset Constabulary.....................................................69 Badgemaster ........................................................................................70 BMW....................................................................................................28 Boot Repair Company........................................................................50 Bristol Uniforms.................................................................................53 British Red Cross..........................................................................21, 22 British Transport Police.....................................................................19 Cabinet Office .....................................................................................31 Capita ...................................................................................................29 Care Quality Commission .......................................................3, 29, 37 Chief Fire Officers' Association........................................................12 Civil Contingencies Secretariat.........................................................31 Class Professional Publishing ...........................................................69 CO-Awareness.....................................................................................72 Consortium Fire and Rescue...............................................................9 Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service....................................................72 Cosalt....................................................................................................49 County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service...5, 9, 50 Cumbria Constabulary .......................................................................69 Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service ....................................................69 Department for Communities and Local Government .............5, 31 Department of Health .....................................................29, 31, 53, 58 Derbyshire Constabulary...................................................................29 Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service ..................................................5 Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service................................66 Dorset and Poole Local Resilience Forum......................................24 Dorset County Council ......................................................................24 Dorset Fire and Rescue Service........................................................24 Dorset Police .......................................................................................24 Durham Constabulary........................................................................28 East of England Ambulance Service..........................................26, 29 East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service..................................................5 Emergency Response Driver Training.............................................60 The Emergency Services Show 2012................................................12 Environment Agency .........................................................................24 Essex Emergency Services 2000 Ltd................................................28
Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Essex Police .........................................................................................28 Ferno ......................................................................................................4 Fire Service College......................................................................31, 55 FlamePro (UK) Ltd ...........................................................................50 Fortek Computers Ltd .......................................................................29 Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) .................4 HAAGEN Fire Training Products Ltd............................................61 HAIX ...................................................................................................48 Hampshire Constabulary.............................................................29, 30 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service ................................................30 Harken .................................................................................................70 The heightec Group ...........................................................................35 HELP Appeal........................................................................................6 Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service..........................55 Herts Air Ambulance.........................................................................28 Home Office ........................................................................................31 Humberside Police ...............................................................................6 IC International Ltd.............................................................................6 Independent Ambulance Association..........................................3, 38 Leicestershire Police ..........................................................................29 Lion Apparel.......................................................................................50 London Ambulance Service ...........................................16, 21, 29, 28 London Fire Brigade ...................................................................21, 55 LUCAS...................................................................................................4 Lyon Equipment Ltd...................................................................10, 65 Maritime and Coastguard Agency....................................................24 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service ..................................................4 Merseyside Police ...........................................................................4, 28 Metropolitan Police Service....................................................6, 14, 21 Mines Rescue Service Limited .........................................................67 Motorola Solutions Inc ......................................................................70 National Cycle Response Group.......................................................29 National Policing Improvement Agency ....................4, 6, 18, 31, 58 NCTech ................................................................................................70 Newcastle University .........................................................................10 Norfolk Constabulary.........................................................................28 Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service......................................................62 North Fire PLC ..................................................................................48 North Wales Fire and Rescue Service................................................6 North West Ambulance Service....................................................5, 16 North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service .......................................49 Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service......................................28 Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service......................................29 Nottinghamshire Police.....................................................................29
Optima .................................................................................................29 Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service...............................................28 PageOne Communications ................................................................26 Palm Equipment Europe ...................................................................53 Panasonic.............................................................................................70 Peli Products .......................................................................................70 Petzl......................................................................................................65 Police Federation..................................................................................3 Police National CBRN Centre ..........................................................58 Promove...............................................................................................71 Public Safety Cycling Association....................................................29 RNLI........................................................................................21, 24, 57 Rosenbauer ..........................................................................................48 Ruth Lee Ltd ......................................................................................66 Scottish Ambulance Service..............................................................29 Sharps Terminator®...........................................................................71 Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service...................................................6 South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust6, 29, 30 South Western Ambulance Service ..................................................24 South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue .......................................................4 South Yorkshire Police.........................................................................6 Spanish Fire Fighters Association (ASELF) ..................................35 St John Ambulance Service ..................................................15, 21, 22 Suffolk Police ......................................................................................28 Teesside University...............................................................................5 TenCate Protective Fabrics................................................................50 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service........................................5, 9 The Underwater Centre.....................................................................62 University of Derbyshire.....................................................................6 University of Nottingham .................................................................28 Vimpex Limited..................................................................................71 Volvo.....................................................................................................28 WA Products (UK)...............................................................................4 Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service............................................16 Warwickshire Police ...........................................................................29 West Mercia Police .............................................................................29 West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.................................................5 Weymouth and West Dorset and Portland District Council.........24 WH Bence..............................................................................................9 WL Gore & Associates.................................................................49, 53 Wm Sugden & Sons Ltd....................................................................48 Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Search and Rescue...............................6
Company Name
Company Name
Advertisers Company Name
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AgustaWestland.................................................................................25 Aireshelta plc ....................................................................................33 Air Medical Ltd................................................................................41 Armadillo Merino.............................................................................51 Babcock International........................................................................7 Badgemaster Ltd...............................................................................43 The BMH Group ..............................................................................64 The Boot Repair Company..............................................................51 Bristol Uniforms...............................................................................51 British Red Cross........................................................................23, 59 Cosalt..................................................................................................52 Emergency Response Driver Training ...........................................64 FlamePro (UK) Limited..................................................................54 Gecko Head Gear Ltd ......................................................................59 Goliath Footwear ..............................................................................54 HAAGEN Fire Training Products..................................................56
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HAIX .................................................................................................19 The heightec Group Ltd..................................................................33 Interspiro Ltd ...................................................................................63 Jones & Bartlett Learning ...............................................................43 Lyon Equipment Limited................................................................27 Medical Services.....................................................................OFC, 36 Mines Rescue Service.......................................................................64 Niton 999 Equipment.......................................................................20 North Fire PLC ................................................................................52 Nuvia Limited...................................................................................11 Ophthalmic Technologies Ltd......................................................IBC Paramedico Ltd.................................................................................43 Pickup Systems Ltd ...........................................................................8 Premier Hazard Ltd .........................................................................25 Primetech (UK) Ltd.........................................................................67 Promove.............................................................................................43
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Red Box Recorders Limited..............................................................7 RNLI..................................................................................................63 Ruth Lee Limited.............................................................................56 RVG....................................................................................................33 Skoda...............................................................................................IFC SP Services (UK) Ltd ..................................................................OBC Tracker ...............................................................................................17 Strongs Plastic Products ..................................................................59 The Underwater Centre ...................................................................63 Vauxhall .............................................................................................13 Vimpex Limited................................................................................11 W L Gore & Associates....................................................................49 Wm Sugden & Sons Ltd..................................................................54 WILL-BURT ....................................................................................20
Emergency Services Times June 2012
FIRST WORDS | 3
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Date:
June 2012
Editor: David J. Holden MEng(Hons) Twitter: @999editor davidholden@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Manager: David Brown davidbrown@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Sales: Carol Fox carolfox@brodenmedia.com Office & Events Manager: Lesley Stevenson lesleystevenson@brodenmedia.com Marketing Manager: Emma Nicholls emmanicholls@brodenmedia.com Circulation: Christine Knoll
Call for change in ‘blue lights’ driving law The Independent Ambulance Association (IAA) has called for a change in the law relating to dangerous driving to protect drivers against prosecution on ‘blue light’ emergency response journeys.
The letter states, ‘If emergency service drivers cannot rely upon skill and training then what distinguishes them from that of the ‘normal’ and average driver?’
The association’s member services, which are registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), are supporting the Police Federation and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in a campaign that follows the prosecution of a driver and radio operator of a police car after a car they were pursuing crashed through a railway crossing. The pair was put on trial but after a year they were acquitted.
Until the recent judgement this anomaly had been masked by police forces effectively dealing with matters internally or by the Crown Prosecution declining to prosecute citing the ‘not in the public interest’ test of their code. They argue that emergency drivers need clarity and certainty as to what is and what is not illegal and the only solution is an amendment to the law.
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Robert Denholm House, Bletchingley Road Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4HW Tel: 01737 824010 Fax: 01737 824011 e-mail: davidbrown@brodenmedia.com www: brodenmedia.com Distribution: EMERGENCY SERVICES TIMES is free of charge to officers and managers who are buyers or specifiers actively involved in the procurement of equipment or services within the emergency response industry and based in the UK and Irish Republic. All other categories of reader are invited to subscribe at £130.00 to UK addresses and £165.00 overseas. Single copy price £25.00 including post and packing. The articles within Emergency Services Times are copyright and are the property of the publisher Broden Media Limited and cannot be reproduced in any media form without permission of the publisher. Application should be made in writing.
According to legal police opinion, the current legislative definition of dangerous driving is so wide that every response driver, including ambulance drivers, is vulnerable to prosecution. The Crown Prosecution Service, has already responded to the IAA, agreeing to review its prosecution guidance in relation to the emergency services but the law can only be amended by Parliament and the association has now written to the Home Secretary Teresa May, Transport Secretary Justine Greening and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley seeking their support for a change in the law. In the letter, dated 5 June 2012, the IAA says that emergency services are now facing a dilemma caused by the widening of the ambit of dangerous driving and the absence of any legal exemption for emergency services, which prevents a jury or magistrate from taking into account the specialist skills, training and competencies of drivers when considering the facts.
This would mean that when a vehicle is being used for fire, ambulance, bomb or explosive disposal, national blood and human organ transport service, rescue or police purposes, or for a purpose connected with the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, the driver may depart from the standard of the careful and competent driver in certain circumstances and if they have undergone specialist driving training. You can read the full text of the IAA letter on the association’s website. www.iaauk.org See also the article Emergency resonse blue light driver training. The law is changing – are you up to speed? on page 60. Photo: iStockphoto
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Emergency Services Times June 2012
12 | EVENTS
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Interoperability focus at The Emergency Services Show 2012 Recent events, such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the upcoming 2012 Olympics, are opening the discussion once again around the importance of interoperability within the blue light services. Interoperability, although not a new term has become particularly prominent recently following discussions in late 2011 that brought together professionals from the fire and rescue, ambulance and police services. Knowledge and understanding of each other’s systems, including use and procurement of equipment, communications and training exercises paves the way for improved collaboration between the blue light services. With over 4400 visitors attending last year’s event, The Emergency Services Show 2012 will be the key event for emergency services personnel, indeed anyone involved in planning for, responding to, or recovering from emergency situations, both in the UK and abroad. This year, the event will take place on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry. The Emergency Services Show 2012 will be showcasing the latest technology, ideas and initiatives focused on improving public safety and protecting the environment and the Critical National Infrastructure. The show is the ideal place to explore new ideas and initiatives, along with networking with like-minded professionals to discuss cooperation, ideas and initiatives focused on improving public safety and learning from foreign counterparts. Who can attend? This unique event brings together emergency and resilience professionals with a role in operations, procurement, training, recruitment, emergency planning and business continuity. The show is relevant to buyers, specifiers and operational personnel, indeed anyone who works with emergency equipment as part of their daily lives. The exhibition will feature three indoor halls and an outdoor exhibition area giving visitors the chance to meet specialist product and service suppliers. There will also be plenty of product launches at the show and a chance for visitors to look at budget savings. Over 400 exhibitors attended last year’s show and, with five months to go, well over 300 exhibitors have already confirmed to attend this year’s exhibition, offering visitors the chance to view the latest equipment and services from a range of leading companies. For a full list of exhibitors, please visit the show’s website at www.emergencyuk.com. The Emergency Services Show is organised by Broden Media Limited, publisher of Emergency Services Times magazine. David Brown, Joint Managing Director at Broden Media and the show’s Event Director, said, “The emergency response to the recent flooding in Wales, which involved so many agencies and won so much praise from the communities involved, highlighted how the UK’s emergency services work together so effectively to protect the public. Each year incidents take place, whether man made or natural disasters, which emphasise the importance of joint training, understanding the operational procedures of colleagues in other emergency services and,
probably most important of all, knowledge of the equipment each service uses. “We all know that budgets are tight and some travel restrictions are in place, so why should you take time out of your busy schedule to visit the UK’s only multi-agency event? Because we have you in mind when we start planning each event. “Emergency services personnel should never underestimate the importance of meeting likeminded professionals face-to-face – to have the ability of touching products, trying the kit, looking the salesperson in the eye, shaking their hands and telling the manufacturer or supplier what you think about their products and what changes, if any, they should make. In short, forging these relationships at shows like The Emergency Services Show will reap rewards when training for and responding to emergencies. “The show is also a valuable place to discover what products other emergency services use that you might not have considered before. I was heartened recently to hear that Dorset Police is in the process of taking delivery of six jet skis from Yamaha – to be used off the coast of Weymouth during the Olympics – after this equipment was seen at last year’s show. Networking at the show can unearth recommendations from other users as to how good or bad a product is and discuss all-
important cost saving initiatives, whether with exhibiting companies or fellow visitors.” Emergency Response Zone The show’s Emergency Response Zone will once again feature over 70 exhibitors from UK police, fire and rescue, ambulance, professional, government and voluntary organisations. This area demonstrates to visitors the capabilities of partnering agencies and the voluntary sector. Sponsored by Emergency Services Times, this area allows you to visit many organisations, such as NGOs, who you could potentially meet at an incident – why not see what they are able to offer! Live demonstrations at the show will also provide a unique opportunity to see the latest equipment in action – in 2011 the show featured a public order water cannon from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Expect more surprises at this year’s show. Register now To register for your free visitor pass or to learn more about attending The Emergency Services Show 2012, please visit www.emergencyuk.com. Be sure to put Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November in your diary – this is an event for all emergency professionals not to miss! www.emergencyuk.com
National Interoperability Summit Against a backdrop of a number of national incident inquest recommendations and with current focus being the safety of the UK during the 2012 Olympic Games, the past year has seen a welcome increase in focus from Government in the critically important topic of interoperability. With a determined approach from all emergency responders to address this, CFOA has taken a leading role, alongside police and ambulance partners, to drive progress in this area. The result is the formation of a Strategic Blue Light Interoperability Board reporting directly to Government through a Ministerial Board chaired by the Home Secretary. With the increased international attention focused on London and the UK throughout the summer this year, preparations are in place for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games; but what will happen afterwards? What will we learn and how will that shape the future for all the UK emergency responders? If you are a leader or strategic manager working in any of the Category 1 and Category 2 Responders, join like-minded individuals at the first ever National Interoperability Summit and Dinner to be held in conjunction with The Emergency Services Show, at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, from Wednesday 21 – Thursday 22 November 2012. More details and booking forms will be available shortly but make sure you note the dates in your diary to ensure you are part of this not-to-be-missed event. www.cfoa.org.uk
Emergency Services Times June 2012
14 | OLYMPICS
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Olympic Torch Relay security is seven years in the making Now that the Olympic Torch Relay is truly underway the response it has been receiving from communities across the country stands as proof that all the time spent planning was worth it! My involvement began on 6 July 2005 on the roof of New Scotland Yard, where along with a small group of others we tried to listen on a small transistor radio to the announcement of the decision of who, between London and Paris had won the bid to host the 2012 Games. We didn’t need it, however, as the roar of success that reached us from Trafalgar Square, just under a mile away, drowned out the radio. Planning started the next morning as I prepared a draft research paper along with my request to be the principal planner for the event, while continuing with planning Notting Hill Carnival and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the two ‘big’ events my team were already engaged in. That planning lasted just minutes before the 7/7 bombs hit our city, changing planning for events forever. What we soon discovered though, were agreements made at the turn of the millennium in the early bid and host city contract documents. These stated the host police force would provide not just safety and security to the Olympic Flame and those carrying it, but also to guarantee its integrity; the agreement to ensure the flame handed to us in Athens would be the same that lights the Olympic Cauldron on 27 July. This role has historically been played by the host city police force elsewhere in the world.
“With government and ACPO support, we encouraged a collaborative approach to planning and policing.”
The Olympic Flame is seen during a hand-over on its journey between Cardigan/Aberteifi and Brynhoffnant on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
Photo: LOCOG
Beijing Relay An early success was to obtain agreement that a team should be selected to plan and command the one day Beijing Relay in London and ensure that team stayed available to use any learning for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. In the main, that remained the case and many of the planning team and Strategic and Tactical lead and deputies are all officers that were involved in that 2008 relay. The learning gave us real experience to build upon. With three years to go, I was removed from all other duties to act as Chief of Staff (CoS) to the
Torch Security Team. In this role I have worked directly to the Strategic Lead for the operation, providing important support and coordination between stakeholders. I acted as the main link between Planning, Command, Escort Runner and Motorcycle teams but with the main focus in the early days of laying the foundations with LOCOG upon which many others would join to build up the event. The Government scrutiny of the policing operation and associated costs were understandably intense and that has only increased as the months have passed.
Training included specific torch operations.
Training took place regularly for 16 months and included physical fitness, protection, enhanced first aid, flame and torch operations and torch relay history.
Recruit, select and train The success of the business case meant that with two years still to run, we were permitted to recruit, select and train a team of five planners to match the five regions that LOCOG had divided the United Kingdom into for route planning purposes. What some lacked in planning experience was more than matched by the enthusiasm to learn and meet the challenges of coordinating 55 police forces whose cooperation was needed to make an 8000mile United Kingdom Relay. That coordination of forces was a significant concern due to the unique nature of this operation
Emergency Services Times June 2012
OLYMPICS | 15
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invaluable in warning of pitfalls and mistakes that had been made by those who had gone before us. Sydney and Vancouver Police Relay teams were unending in their support and particular thanks need to be extended to RCMP Sgt ‘BJ’ Brown and team runner Dave Noon who were tireless in their desire to help us get it right. Learning from those previous Relays, especially Atlanta 1996, was that while many other members of Relays move on from one to the next, constantly planning and then delivering Relay after Relay, the police team were the ones ‘left behind’ to return to their work; this just days after returning from such an extraordinary role. Previous teams, away from their own families and support networks, had found some challenges in returning to normal life and we have built the right levels of support and care for them into the selection, training, on the road operation and importantly after we return. The service owes a duty of care to its officers. The original desire had been to look at a national team of officers but it soon became apparent that to advertise, recruit, train and then subsequently support a UK-wide team was logistically impossible and financially prohibitive. Olympian Colin Jackson carries the Olympic Flame through Swansea on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Photo: LOCOG
Support and advice Of course it had been done before and the help, support and advice from previous Relays was
Specialist fitness test The first MPS advert elicited responses from 664 officers. Compulsory attendance to a 90-minute presentation from the command and planning teams reduced these numbers, as did a very highlevel specialist fitness test, established after input from a university to ensure the right type of fitness with endurance being the focus. Paper applications were followed by a series of one-day leadership, teamwork and communication assessments. Finally, an extended interview to ensure the officers fully understood what they faced was used to select the team for this once in a lifetime opportunity. That process took almost a year because of the numbers involved and the need to minimise abstractions from core policing duties. It resulted in five teams totalling six Sergeants and 30 constables working a roster that would cover the
Day 19 – Jockey Ruby Walsh carries the Olympic Flame on the Torch Relay leg through Dublin. Photo: LOCOG
The Beaumaris RNLI lifeboat crew assist Torchbearer Elen Evans as she carries the Olympic Flame across the Menai Strait on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Photo: LOCOG
and so, with government and ACPO support, we encouraged a collaborative approach to planning and policing, asking forces to work on a regional basis rather than county by county. This has worked extremely well, as shown by how successfully all the locally delivered regionally commanded operations have gone so far to date. Next came the challenge of selecting a team of officers who will run, sometimes 30 miles a day, day after day for 70 days, keep smiling, help the torchbearer, support LOCOG, live away from their families, show UK policing at its very best and do all that in the media spotlight.
Eric’s ‘moment to shine’ St John Ambulance volunteer Eric Robinson has been named as one of the torchbearers for the London Olympics. He will be carrying the flame through Basingstoke on 11 July 2012. Eric, who lives in Farnborough, has been a member of St John Ambulance for 50 years, having joined the charity when he as a cadet at the age of 10. His youngest daughter Jill, who is also a St John Ambulance volunteer nominated her Dad for the torch-bearing honour in recognition of his half-century of voluntary service. During his service, Eric has helped provide first aid at events such as various Royal Weddings, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and the Farnborough International Air Show. He has been an active member of St John Ambulance, just like his father before him, and has been involved in training people in first aid skills and helping them be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. www.sja.org.uk
four main duties of: core running team, support team, recce and driving duties with built-in rest days. It also allowed us to plan for a break of four to five days for each team to return home near the midway point. Training took place regularly for 16 months and included: physical fitness, protection, enhanced first aid, flame and torch operations and torch relay history. It also included torch operations specific to those with physical, medical or other conditions that might need more support for their ‘moment to shine’ as a torchbearer. That training finished and the team finally came together, full time, after months of thinking about it. We are now well into our journey and so far each and everyone of us has been overwhelmed by the crowds, enthusiasm and joy that greets the Torchbearer, Olympic Flame, and even us – those charged with keeping it safe. One thing is certain, while we wait for what the coming days may bring as the Relay continues its 8000-mile journey, we know we have done all we could, within the bounds of practical, financial and time restraints, to prepare this team to the best of their and our ability. The Strategic Command, led by Ch Supt Claire Johnston, and tactical side, led by Chief Inspector Graham Dean, have worked tirelessly, along with the planners at every step to build a platform for the remainder to perform their functions. Whether we achieved that, you will know better than I do at this moment. My hope is that, as the Canadians did two years ago, the UK will come out to support the 8000 torchbearers and this will mark the start of a fantastic summer in London. www.met.police.uk
Jordan Anderton holds the Torch as it is lit at the start of Day 2 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, at the Life Centre in Plymouth. Photo: LOCOG
The first Torchbearer, Ben Ainslie, holds the Olympic Torch, which is handed to him by Lieutenant Commander Richard Full before he begins the first leg of the Relay between Land's End and Sennon. Photo: LOCOG
Author: Eric Stuart, Chief of Staff, MPS Torch Security Team.
Emergency Services Times June 2012
30 | INTEROPERABILITY
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Operation Shannon tests multiagency response to refinery incident Almost 150 members of the emergency services descended on Fawley Refinery in Hampshire for a two-day exercise designed to test their response to a major incident. The exercise, which took place from 4-5 May, began with Exxon Fawley declaring a major fire risk at the refinery after a breakdown of the cooling and fire fighting systems within the plant. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service then requested assistance from colleagues from across the region with high volume pumping units deployed along with appliances from Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. PC Mike Batten from Hampshire Police, who planned the exercise in conjunction with Watch Manager Chas McGill and Station Manager Mick Thompson from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said, “We marshalled and deployed two convoys of 12 vehicles, consisting of fire appliances and the ambulance Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), which were escorted by HFRS and HART staff at the tanker roll-over scenario. five police VIP escort trained Local officers from Hythe Police station were first motorcycle outriders to the Fawley complex from on the scene, closely followed by officers from the HFRS headquarters at Eastleigh.” Roads Policing Unit (RPU) and RPU HazMat Advisors. Three services working together The incident was swiftly contained by all three services working together. Hampshire firefighters advanced with water sprays to reduce the risk from the explosive vapour and members of the SCAS’ HART treated all three casualties before they were taken to hospital.
The vehicle and equipments convoys are escorted to Fawley.
On arrival the convoys were again marshalled at a Strategic Holding Area. All six fire and rescue services then worked together to deploy more than two kilometres of high capacity hose, as well as the huge pumping units, to pump water from a nearby freshwater reservoir into the refinery in order to maintain a continuous supply. As the cooling operation got underway, two further 999 calls came in simultaneously. In Cadland Road, an 18-tonne road tanker loaded with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) had overturned, trapping the driver who had sustained serious injuries. Two workers who went to his aid from Flogas, a nearby industrial site, then collapsed after being overcome by fumes leaking from the tanker. Meanwhile, inside the refinery complex, things were going from bad to worse, with a report of a chemical incident unfolding in a storage area housing thousands of drums of liquid. Police, fire and rescue and ambulance staff responding to the incident at Cadland Road were met with the sight of the tanker laying on its side, shrouded in a cloud of gas and with unconscious casualties laying nearby. The scene was further complicated by the driver – played by a volunteer from Amputees in Action – being found to have suffered a traumatic leg injury in the crash.
channel, greatly improving the ability to manage an incident.” Back at the refinery complex where the chemical incident was reported, it was established that several substances had come into contact, causing a chemical reaction and fire. Once the cause was established the fire was quickly extinguished and the area declared safe. The exercise was finally concluded at 1.30pm – 24 hours after the first incident report at the refinery complex. Superb training environment PC Batten, said, “These exercises give the emergency services the opportunity to work together in realistic incident scenarios. They are only possible with the commitment of all those taking part and the help and assistance of local businesses such as Exxon Fawley and Flogas, who can provide us with a superb training environment and support staff. We are also very grateful to the efforts of the team from Amputees in Action who greatly added to the realism of the exercise.” “We always hope that the skills we learn, develop and practise will never have to be put to use at a real incident, but if they are, then we are as well prepared as we can be.” www.hampshire.police.uk www.hantsfire.gov.uk
“For the first time in a live exercise, all 999 responders used the Airwave radio network Emergency Services Interoperability Channels.” Air support in the shape of the Sussex Police helicopter hovered overhead, providing further critical information to teams on the ground. Once it was made safe, officers from the RPU Forensic Collision Investigation Unit then deployed their latest crash investigation equipment to map the scene. PC Batten said, “For the first time in a live exercise, all 999 responders used the Airwave radio network Emergency Services Interoperability Channels. These enabled all responders to both talk and listen to communications on a common radio
Emergency Services Times June 2012
Representatives from the police, fire and rescue and ambulance services 'in conference' during the exercise.
INTEROPERABILITY | 31
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Interoperability – the view from the centre Local emergency services work well together every day. Familiarity and frequency lead to good operational outcomes. Nationally, Ministerial focus is inevitably on ensuring that the approaches developed are able to function in the fast-moving, challenging emergencies that demand the highest levels of close working. These are infrequent: they are inherently complex, but their rarity precludes familiarity. Most responders may be directly involved in such large-scale events once or twice in their careers, and rarely in the same appointment. Familiarity with routine joint operations will only carry us so far, and things do not always go well under the pressure of extreme circumstances. Responders need good multi-agency structures, doctrine and training to support them before they confront the challenges of a complex joint response. Interoperability is fundamental to operational effectiveness in large, complex multi-agency events. Without it we get gaps, overlaps and incoherence in activities; errors in the passage of information; delays in decision making; and ultimately unsatisfactory outcomes. If leaders have to devote excessive effort inwards and downwards to making multi-agency operations work, then they cannot lead effectively. Those factors shape the adopted definition of interoperability – ‘the extent to which organisations can work together coherently as a matter of routine’ – which explicitly aspires to coherent action without intensive management intervention.
Photo: Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Shared situational awareness The critical factor is shared situational awareness, not just of what has happened, but also of what other responders are doing now, and of what needs to happen next. That creates understanding and cooperation; accelerates decision-making and operations; and enables initiative and delegated action. It is an essential pre-condition for a shared assessment of dynamic risks. For those reasons, shared situational awareness is a primary benefit of good interoperability and one of the most compelling arguments for its development. These factors feature in the draft Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) and National Fire Framework (NFF), and the National Security Strategy. Risks and emergencies do not respect boundaries. Good interoperability will facilitate the mobilisation, mutual aid and reinforcement that the draft SPR and NFF envisage. They are the motivation for the current emergency services led interoperability initiative supported by the Cabinet
Office, Home Office, DCLG, and Department of Health. While some risk-specific interoperability solutions have been developed in the CT field, the policy intent is to produce a scalable approach that can be adapted for use in all major incidents. Driving the process forward Interoperability is something that must be done by and with the emergency services. Working together, police, fire and rescue and ambulance services must both lead their organisations forward, and importantly, bring the other responders and stakeholders with them. To that end the Government will support the Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme to drive the process forward. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) will support the programme through the production of the underpinning enablers. The first is joint doctrine, which is founded on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and its supporting guidance – Emergency Preparedness (EP) and Emergency Response and Recovery (ERR). In particular, Chapter 4 of ERR lays out the basic principles for joint response. It is essential reading for all emergency service officers liable to command at bronze, silver or gold level.
“The emergency services have more than 30 different ways of saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, when only three might be justified, and one might be best.” The second element is language. Each service needs its own technical terms, but by 2003 the emergency services were using more than 8000 different words and sayings. The scope for confusion is obvious. In 2004 CCS started the development of a plain English lexicon for joint operations; the latest version is an annex to ERR. Following a parallel development, the National Map Symbology set will be available later this year, free to users and compatible with all GIS systems.
Technical solutions The third area is technical solutions. The trial Direct Electronic Incident Transfer (DEIT) project in Gwent is a first step towards a family of simple formatted messages that can be transmitted and shared using voice, writing, SMS, e-mail or data string. The ACPO work on police callsigns reported elsewhere is another welcome initiative that will greatly assist interoperability. But despite having a common radio solution, our joint communications capabilities still fall short of what is technically achievable with Airwave. The emergency services have more than 30 different ways of saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, when only three might be justified, and one might be best. Joint training is essential Joint training is essential in preparing for infrequent events, but it may be the hardest area to progress. The obstacles are not new: comparing the observations of Desmond Fennell QC in 1989, Lady Justice Hallett in 2011 and a series of lessons identified reports suggests that they are persistent. Any increase in joint activity would be additional to single service training, much of which is mandatory. Budgets are scarce for joint training, so the challenge for the emergency services and the Interoperability Programme is to find ways of delivering effect at minimum cost. At the level of awareness raising, online delivery offers a cheap way of reaching large numbers of people, and has been exploited for the pre-Olympic awareness package on interoperability for on-scene commanders. Simulations offer economic opportunities for training commanders and their teams. But in all cases we need to look beyond the obstacles for advantageous solutions in an operating environment that is becoming increasingly multi-agency. Enhanced operational effectiveness With the discussion on the futures of the Fire Service College and the NPIA we may have a unique opportunity to do something far better that will directly enhance interoperability and operational effectiveness. We look forward to a lively debate on these issues in Emergency Services Times. www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/ civil-contingencies-secretariat
Author: Christina Scott, Head of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat
Emergency Services Times June 2012
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INDEPENDENT AMBULANCE | 37
Regulating independent ambulance providers against standards of quality and safety The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has registered 244 independent ambulance providers (at time of going to press) as part of a new system of regulation for the health and social care sector. As directed by the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the regulator has brought the NHS, adult social care, independent ambulances, independent healthcare and dental providers under a single set of standards. CQC is also currently registering out-of-hours GP providers and will be further extending its responsibilities to include GP surgeries in 2013. Once registered, all these providers will be legally obliged to meet the essential standards of quality and safety, which are designed to create parity across sectors so people can expect consistent standards no matter which health and social care services they use. The standards are based around outcomes, which are the experiences people can expect when they use services. There are 28 outcomes in total although inspectors focus on a subset of 16 that relate most directly to the quality and safety of care. This includes cleanliness, staffing, training requirements, medicines management and other considerations (full list across). Unannounced inspection Most independent ambulance providers are now through the registration process, which only happens once, and they now will be subject to ongoing compliance monitoring. In the coming financial year, many of those registered to provide services will be subject to an unannounced inspection and all independent ambulance providers will be inspected within the next two years.
registration. However, it would only seek to take such action if inspectors believed patients were at serious risk of harm. For more information on compliance monitoring, applying for registration or any other questions please go to www.cqc.org.uk or call the helpline on 03000 616161.
“Independent ambulance providers play an important part in the delivery of patients’ services.” Where a provider is non-compliant with one or more standards, the action CQC will take will be proportionate to the impact that the breach has on the people who use the service. If a breach has a minor impact on people or the impact is moderate, but it’s happened for the first time, we ask the provider to report on how they intend to address the problem and the action they’ll take to meet the standard. We will then check they’ve made the improvements. For more serious cases, CQC can use its powers on a more urgent basis. It can either issue a warning notice, restrict the service the provider can offer or suspend or cancel the provider’s
independent ambulance services there are some basic points for attention when considering ongoing compliance. These include making sure your recruitment procedures are appropriate, that you are maintaining your equipment in line with the manufacturer’s instructions and that you can show evidence of the training and ongoing competence of your staff in how to use specialist equipment. Think also about your record keeping. For example, can you show auditable processes and evidence of full vehicle records, of when you last had a vehicle serviced and when the equipment in the vehicle was last calibrated and tested? “We believe we will find evidence of good levels of compliance within this sector but it is already clear that there are some providers who need to improve to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients are achieved. “We look forward to working with providers to help them improve if required.” www.cqc.org.uk
Important part to play David Griffiths, CQC National Professional Advisor for Ambulance and Emergency Services, said, “Independent ambulance providers play an important part in the delivery of patients’ services. Originally centred on the provision of long-distance transfers and work in the private sector, the independent ambulance providers’ remit has extended significantly since the 1980s with the capacity now to compete with the NHS ambulance services for Patient Transport Service contracts and also to work with NHS ambulance services supporting the services they provide. “This is an excellent time for this sector to show that its quality and standards of service are appropriate for its developing role. “These standards apply to all types of independent ambulance providers, whether you’re a small provider with maybe a single vehicle or a large corporate organisation with multiple contracts and many staff. “My advice to providers to help ensure compliance with the essential standards is to thoroughly read our guidance on our website and contact us if you require clarification on anything. “Based on our experiences to date with
Emergency Services Times June 2012
What are the standards independent ambulance providers will be assessed against? Outcome 1: Respecting and involving people who use services Outcome 2: Consent to care and treatment Outcome 4: Care and welfare of people who use services Outcome 6: Cooperating with other providers Outcome 7: Safeguarding people who use services from abuse Outcome 8: Cleanliness and infection control Outcome 9: Management of medicines Outcome 10: Safety and suitability of premises Outcome 11: Safety, availability and suitability of equipment Outcome 12: Requirements relating to workers Outcome 13: Staffing Outcome 14: Supporting staff Outcome 16: Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision Outcome 21: Records
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Where else could you create a learning experience as authentic as this? Multi-agency interoperability between blue light emergency responders is vital to enable fire and rescue crews and urban search and rescue (USAR) teams to expand their skill base and ensure local and national resilience. The Fire Service College (FSC), with its unique incident ground and extensive range of realistic facilities, is one of the few training organisations worldwide that can effectively replicate real life situations faced by emergency responders. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has, for the past six years used the Fire Service College as the venue for its USAR training. The 36-hour exercises, designed to challenge its USAR technicians and command teams with a ‘rolling shift changeover’, ensure continuity of the rescue task. The college’s USAR rigs, recognised as among the best in the world, test their skill sets under extremely realistic and challenging conditions.
The ambulance services Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) have supported these exercises, promoting good liaison when responding to operational incidents with a multi-agency dimension. LFB has also invited other neighbouring fire and rescue USAR teams to enhance and ensure intraoperability. Incident Commanders, USAR Advisors and USAR Technicians, value the realism of the college’s training scenarios.
HART Paramedics and USAR technicians, training on FSC’s major USAR structural collapsed building.
relationship with the FSC and its instructional staff, facilitating the transfer of knowledge from one discipline to the other. In a time of global uncertainty and unpredictability, the ability to combine ambulance and fire and rescue service personnel, at a facility that is able to replicate real life incidents, prepares HART staff to provide high standards of clinical care during challenging operations. Multi-agency training exercises Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service The college’s facilities have also helped contribute (HWFRS) recently held a major training exercise to the success of the national HART programme. at the college, which was considered a huge success. The programme, designed to test clinical skills and Exercise Olympus achieved all its objectives and develop situation awareness of the USAR provided an invaluable learning experience for the environment has provided countless opportunities participating fire crews and other agencies who for inter-agency working. The national HART worked together as they would in the event of a faculty has cemented an excellent working major search and rescue incident. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Richard Lawrence from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said, “We regularly hold training exercises that involve our fire crews or our USAR teams but this is the first time we have involved both, on such a major scale, and invited other fire and rescue services to take part as well. The key to the exercise was to make it as realistic as possible and this was achieved by using the excellent facilities at the Fire Service College, which allowed us to create a building The FSC’s collapsed building rig, used for Exercise Orpheus, run by the Health Protection Agency to exercise FRSs, the Ambulance Services HART team and the police in two collapse and a series of fires and other simultaneous scenarios. incidents as the exercise progressed.”
“The key to the exercise was to make it as realistic as possible and this was achieved by using the excellent facilities at the Fire Service College.” Partnership working tested Partnership working was tested at many levels and the interoperability radio system, allowing the individual agencies to communicate with each other more effectively, was also tested during the exercise. DCFO Lawrence added, “We had our own team of observers monitoring and evaluating the exercise, while observers from the Chief Fire Officers’ Association National Resilience Assurance Team also attended. Several of our fire authority members also came along and were able to get a better insight into the work we do and a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the multiagency response to a large-scale emergency incident. “There’s no doubt at all that this exercise will help us be better prepared if we are faced with an emergency on this scale in the future.” www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk
Emergency Services Times June 2012
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TRAINING | 57
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Ensuring preparedness for the next national flooding event Over the last decade, there have been a number of serious flooding situations in the UK. These floods prompted the Government to ask Sir Michael Pitt to carry out a review of the current flood provision. This review was published in December 2007 and contained recommendations to prepare Britain to cope better with future flooding. Sir Michael said at the time, ‘Flood risk and events of this sort are here to stay’. Following the review, The Department of Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) drew up guidelines for operational structures, training requirements and equipment for those attending flood situations. The RNLI’s Flood Rescue Team, which is supported by Toolstation, was among those who attended the UK floods. The RNLI has since developed training programmes that adhere to the new Defra guidelines. Robin Goodlad, RNLI Flood Response Manager, says, “With the introduction of the DEFRA Flood Rescue Concept of Operations and its recommendations for training modules, we now have some more defined standards to work towards. “As an organisation which provides type B boat teams, the challenge has been to design and deliver a new course which fulfils the guidelines set under module 4, for a Water Rescue boat operator, and that can be validated as a recognised qualification.”
helps develop a deep respect for the water in a safe and predictable training environment, which is critical for operational safety.”
“Training is essential, as is establishing good working relationships and sharing best practice among responding organisations.” Two approaches Robin explained that there were two approaches to this: firstly, following the standards set in the FRCO to develop existing techniques and to develop training in tandem boat operations, and secondly, also to draw upon the RNLI’s experiences in previous flooding situations to fully understand the situations a rescue boat team might find themselves in, and then developing the most appropriate and safe techniques to deal with these scenarios. Robin, who is also an RNLI crew member at Aberdovey, explained, “One of the biggest challenges has been locating the most appropriate venues with class 2 water or above, allowing progression from basic to more advanced techniques. Class 2 water itself is great for an introduction to boat handling techniques, but perhaps doesn’t provide enough flow to provide the resistance needed to practice tandem boat techniques effectively, for example. “Therefore we have chosen venues which have a greater flow as in reality we encountered very similar flows in the Cockermouth floods. This allows the candidates to experience operating in the flow, whilst developing better understanding of the limitations and the capabilities of the boats. This
Replicate conditions When training the members of their Flood Rescue Team, the RNLI has found that large tidal venues such as the Falls of Lora in Scotland provide the required water characteristics with defined features, while man-made water courses such as Tees Valley and Cardiff provide confined spaces for precise boat handling, which does in some way replicate the conditions experienced in the narrow streets of Cockermouth. Many crew taking part have been astounded by the capability of the boats in these environments, which has served to boost confidence in equipment, but more importantly in their own boat handling. While it is debatable whether a boat would be committed operationally in such conditions (where the effects of the hydrology and hazards may be less apparent), giving the crews experience of them allows them to be able to make sound judgement of theirs and the boat’s ability. Robin said, “As an organisation we are fortunate that all of our crews have established substantial boat experience, gained from years of training on a weekly basis in seas where white water is normally encountered. Of course, the swift water environment is very different, requiring a different approach, though this awareness of water and its hydrology is valuable.” Tandem boat techniques Robin believes that the biggest challenge has been developing tandem boat techniques for weir rescues. This is very important, as it is a high-risk environment, with one shot at success. The difficulty lies in connecting a line between two boats which must remain above the surface to avoid entanglement, but without having tension in the line which would prevent the rescue boat
manoeuvring and achieving its task of getting close enough to affect a throwline rescue. He explains, “Developing this technique has been a steep learning curve, both in principle of operational technique, and also the method of teaching, which allows all involved to operate safely. With such rescue methods to be employed in high risk areas, it is imperative that all crew are fully conversant with the technique and have a clear plan, including emergency action; though of course, lower risk rescue options will always be considered first if available. “Another area we have explored is the rescue of persons in vehicles by boat, which highlights just how dynamic and unpredictable such rescues can be, with such dynamic hydrological factors.” Sharing best practice There are of course many other challenges ahead. In the interim, without large-scale operational incidents occurring, there is limited opportunity to put these skills into practice, therefore training is essential, as is establishing good working relationships and sharing best practice among responding organisations. The RNLI has established a collaborative training programme with the Welsh fire and rescue services developing and sharing training. Robin concludes, “As the spotlight on flooding as a national priority tends to be diminished through lack of large-scale incidents, it is crucial that we continue to train to the highest level, and use the time wisely so that we are fully prepared for the next event as a cohesive national response, to put the learning from 2007 and the Pitt review to best effect.” www.rnli.org.uk
More information aboout RNLI training, please call 01202 662261 or email: commercial_training @rnli.org.uk
Emergency Services Times June 2012