The Buncefield oil depot fire, the July 7 terrorist attacks and the 2007 floods are arguably the three largest emergencies in the UK in recent years. For each, the official report and review noted that although the dedication and quality of the emergency services was exemplary, there was a need to improve co-operation between the agencies.

This need was identified when the Civil Contingencies Act of 2004 outlined a single framework for civil protection in the UK. However, the types of emergency situations that we now face pose a different set of challenges and could stretch our resources to the limit.

The Prime Minister has recognised this. When the first National Security Strategy for the UK was published this year, he said: “New threats demand new approaches. A radically updated and much more co-ordinated response is now required.”

With the largest security operation this country has ever seen approaching for the 2012 Olympics, it is essential that our emergency services not only share information, but explore ways in which they can use each other's experience and resources. This means developing initiatives and strategies that will enable this to happen. In most sports, the side that plays as a team will always do better than the group of brilliant individuals who play for themselves.

The Civil Contingencies Act has split responders to emergencies into two separate categories. The first is made up of the organisations at the core of the response, including the blue-light services, local authorities, NHS bodies.

In the second category are the co-operating bodies including utilities and transport organisations. The Act requires all of these organisations to share information and co-operate with each other.

Although formal co-operation agreements between emergency services and other supporting agencies may be in place, a co-ordinated response to major incidents does not happen by chance. Any opportunity to learn from the experiences of other services and agencies and to share information can only benefit the UK emergency sector.

Encouragingly, there are examples of a cross-fertilisation of ideas and examples where forces and agencies have established joint ventures to improve services. There is also a growing understanding of the huge benefits of mobile communications and data transfer for sharing information.

It should also be emphasised that this does not relate purely to large-scale emergencies. Anything that affects public safety requires a drive to improve co-responding. If one victim of a car accident, or a civil disturbance or a house fire is saved as a result of the initiatives or activities that are being undertaken, it will be worthwhile.

This exciting new age of inter-service relations and multi-agency collaboration within the UK's emergency services will evolve for the benefit of society only if it is provided with the right environment and support. Acts of Parliament alone will not guarantee success. The industry itself must play a major role in improving emergency responses.

— David Brown is publisher of Emergency Services Times and the organiser of next week's Emergency Services Show www.theemergencyservicesshow2008.com

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