TRANSFORMING CT IN THE EMERGENCY SERVICES

Taking place at the NEC Birmingham on September 21/22, this years’ Emergency Services Show is set to be the biggest yet. It will introduce new areas of focus including the First Responder theatre, which aims to strengthen the relationship between the emergency services and security sectors

The Emergency Services Show will once again bring together those engaged in engaged in emergency response, public safety, counter-terror and civil contingency with their partners and suppliers.

Visitors get the opportunity to explore how advances in technology and equipment are transforming emergency response for the blue light services and are able to see and handle the latest equipment, share experiences and exchange best practice.

Free to attend at the NEC, Birmingham on 21 and 22 September, this year’s event set is to be the biggest yet with more than 450 exhibitors and an expanded floorplan.

CPD-accredited Seminars
Learning opportunities on offer throughout show include a packed programme of CPD-accredited seminars across five theatres. These cover Future Policing, Emerging Technologies, First Responders, Lessons Learnt and Health & Wellbeing.

New technology on display will include connected and smart vehicles, satellite communications, secure connectivity, GIS and mapping technologies, UAVs/drones, ruggedised mobile computers, tablets and phones, data management and security, wearable tech, body-worn cameras, and other video capture systems, as well as the latest hybrid and electric vehicles.

Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the technology and experience how these solutions can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational response. Other innovations on show will include the latest protective fabrics, medical equipment, rescue tools and CBRN equipment.

The First Responder Theatre
New for 2022, the First Responder Theatre aims to improve the collaboration between the emergency services and security industries and is themed around the actions necessary to optimise emergency services response. Topics will include the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 and Protect Duty: Martyn’s Law. Leading security associations will present key findings and strategies to aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two sectors.

The Lessons Learnt Theatre
Also new for 2022, the Lessons Learnt Theatre will include experiences of, and responses to, real-life UK and International incidents and emergencies, including the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing, the Grenfell fire tragedy and the response to the COVID 19 pandemic. The focus will be on the key learning emerging from these events and how to share best practice, ideas and innovation. The two-day seminar programme promises to help attendees enhance and upgrade their personals skills and proficiency, as well as demonstrate how operational improvements have evolved as emergency services adapt their ways of working.

Future Policing
After its successful launch in 2021, the Future Policing area is now thirty per cent larger. Supported by an Advisory Council chaired by former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe, the zone features a two-day, CPD-accredited conference with high-level speakers exploring topics such as how to leverage technology for better crime prevention, improving international collaboration, effective and compliant data management, and learning and development to support recruitment.

Among confirmed speakers, Dr Rick Muir, director at The Police Foundation will speak on ‘New Mode of Protection: the findings of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales’.of regular workplace training.

Health & Wellbeing Focus
The show’s dedicated Health & Wellbeing Seminar Theatre will feature experienced professionals sharing their expertise of mental wellness, health and nutrition, workforce diversity and introducing the latest digital support platforms. Visitors will hear the real-life experiences of practitioners, frontline responders and experts in the field, who will provide practical takeaways that all emergency service and allied personnel can use within the workplace.

A trauma-informed approach to policing will be the subject of a session presented by Alexis Powell-Howard, Psychotherapist at Fortis Therapy and Training and Peter Thorp, Detective Superintendent at South Yorkshire Police. They will share how policing can work in a more trauma-informed way, increasing knowledge and awareness of the impact of trauma and how employers can offer the right advice and support.

Building positive and empowering habits to improve health and wellbeing in the emergency services will be covered by Rosie Beardsworth, workplace wellbeing consultant at Virgin Pulse. She will discuss the power of social connection and how to foster open communication and encourage employees to seek help before crisis point.

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
In a session exploring ‘positive psychology’, Mike Lennon, Wellness and Behaviour Change Coach at The Fire Fighters Charity, examines how inherent character strengths serve as powerful pathways to flourishing in life. Fellow Wellness and Behaviour Change Coach AJ Whitaker will explore ageing and associated life transitions such as menopause and retirement in a session entitled ‘Maturing Healthily’. She will share ways in which blue light workers can plan and manage their personal health choices as well as finances.

Neil Copeman, Head of Musculoskeletal Services at the Metropolitan Police will showcase the revamp of an MSK service using digital solutions, and alternative delivery methods that bring access to care much closer to home and work.

Collaboration Zone
In the networking hub of the show, The Collaboration Zone, over 80 emergency services, voluntary groups, charities and NGOs will be sharing details of the support they offer. Organisations involved include Movember Europe, Oscar Kilo, Railway Mission, PTSD999, The Blue Light Symphony Orchestra, The Fire Fighters Charity, The Salvation Army, and UK Firefighters Sailing Challenge.

Visitors to the Fire Fighters Charity stand can visit its wellbeing area, experience five minutes of relaxation, hear about the Charity’s new children’s book and watch exclusive videos of some of the people that have been helped recently. Services offered by the charity include a covid recovery programme, wellness coaching, health awareness programmes as well as digital and face-to-face support.

WMFS Extrication and Trauma Challenge
The Extrication and Trauma Challenges return to ESS as an interactive experience for participants and visitors. Hosted by West Midlands Fire Service, the challenges showcase the latest technology and equipment in action.

In the Trauma Challenge, teams of two will experience visual and audio inputs from a trauma scenario that has been set up and filmed especially, in an ‘immersive’ tent. Both challenges will be judged on best safe working practices, command and control, safety and scene assessment, extrication, professional pre-hospital care and expert use of rescue equipment.

In the Extrication Challenge competing teams from across the country will perform extrications from a series of realistic RTC scenarios featuring heavy and complex damage. Action will be captured from a variety of camera angles and broadcast live to a large display screen at the show.

College of Paramedic Workshops
Always a popular feature of show, the College of Paramedics will once again offer its popular 30-minute CPD workshops to all visitors. Sessions will cover a range of topics including prehospital burns, trauma and performance under pressure.

GETTING THERE
The NEC is linked to Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport and is directly accessible from the UK motorway network. Entry to The Emergency Services Show and parking at the NEC are both free. Interested parties can register now.