Blog

ICPEM's blog is a platform for sharing fresh perspectives, insights, and discussions on civil protection and emergency management. It features thought-provoking articles that challenge current thinking, highlight innovative practices, and explore emerging trends. The blog provides an opportunity for members and experts to contribute their ideas, promote knowledge exchange, and raise awareness of key issues in the field. Regular contributions from professionals and award winners offer valuable content to enhance understanding and drive progress in emergency management practices globally.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Use of UK Emergency Alert System

The nationwide wildfire emergency alert issued across England and Wales on 14 August raises an important question for the UK’s resilience community: what is an emergency alert actually for? This is not an argument that the wildfire risk was insignificant. Conditions were exceptionally challenging, major incidents were occurring and fire and rescue services were under considerable pressure. The question is instead whether the emergency alerts system was the most appropriate me

sarahschubert3

6 min read

The Time Is Now: Building Modern Civil Defence for a Resilient Britain

The daily news cycle is filled with conflict, instability and geopolitical tension. From the war in Ukraine to escalating cyber threats and increasing pressure on critical infrastructure, the risks facing the United Kingdom are evolving rapidly. Yet while the nature of the threat has changed, one fundamental question remains: Are we ready? This question sat at the heart of the CBR Cohort 2026 event, co-hosted by ICPEM and the University of Bath. Sponsored by the National Volu

sarahschubert3

6 min read

Resilience at Two Scales: Finding Strategic Clarity Between Incremental Reform and Systemic Transformation

Recent publications by the World Economic Forum and the authors of the metacrisis paper offer two distinct yet complementary perspectives on how societies can strengthen resilience in an era of accelerating global risk. While both recognise the interconnected nature of contemporary challenges, they diverge in their diagnosis of the problem and the scale of change required. Examined together, however, they reveal a productive middle ground.

Stephanie Buller

5 min read

Perspectives from practice: going forward with crisis communications

Amanda Coleman Bio: Amanda Coleman is a Member of ICPEM and a Crisis Communication Consultant. After more than two decades in emergency and crisis communication, it feels as though we are now on a speeding train. For many years things were just chugging along with very little change and minimal developments to the approach, the channels, or the actions. Responders are now finding that the old ways are no longer appropriate, effective, or acceptable. Why is this? It is of cou

Amanda Coleman

3 min read

Why Emergency Preparedness Education Matters

Elaine Wilkinson The UK's recent record-breaking temperatures exposed vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure, disrupted essential services and placed additional pressure on emergency responders. While government agencies and the media provided timely advice on staying safe during the heatwave, the experience raises a broader question: why do we continue to invest far more in communicating during emergencies than in preparing the public before they occur? The UK has m

Elaine Wilkinson

2 min read

Fire and Rescue Services, Public Value and the Social Contract: Why Risk Is About More Than Cost

In an age increasingly shaped by efficiency metrics, performance dashboards and cost-benefit logic, it is tempting to view public services through the narrow lens of economic rationality. What does this service cost? What measurable return does it generate? What value can be evidenced in quantifiable terms? These are not illegitimate questions. Public money demands public accountability. Yet when applied too rigidly to fire and rescue services, this model risks misunderstandi

franklong5

10 min read

Science as a Global Public Good: Reflections from the Royal Society’s Science+ Event

Earlier this month, scholars, practitioners and policymakers converged at the Royal Society for a two-day exploration of a deceptively simple question: can science truly function as a global public good? Across conceptual, political and practical dimensions, the event exposed both the profound promise of science and the structural tensions that prevent it from serving societies equitably. For ICPEM, whose mission is to connect science with policy and practice in emergencies

sarahschubert3

3 min read

Breakfast Briefing Series | Part 2: From Resilience in Theory to Resilience in Practice

The second Chief Risk, Resilience, and Security Officers Breakfast Briefing, convened through the partnership between Toro Solutions and The Institute of Strategic Risk Management at the National Liberal Club, marked a clear shift in the conversation.

Stephanie Buller

4 min read

Day Two at the National Conference on Societal Resilience 2026

Communities, Capability and the Momentum We Can’t Afford to Lose If Day One established why societal resilience matters, Day Two demonstrated what it looks like in practice, in communities, in systems, and in the lived experiences of people navigating disruption. The day was marked by candour, evidence, and a growing recognition that the UK is poised to treat societal resilience as a long-term, whole-of-society endeavour. Across all sessions, three themes consistently surface

Stephanie Buller

6 min read

Day One at the National Conference on Societal Resilience 2026

This summary is meant to help those who could not attend the event feel as though they were in attendance, so they can benefit from the rich offerings provided by this event and its participants. The focus of this conference this year is centred on the theme of: Youth, Networks, and the Everyday Practice of Societal Resilience. The event was organised by the National Consortium for Societal resilience (NCSR). Day 1 of the 4 th National Conference on Societal Resilience

Stephanie Buller

6 min read

Resilience in an Age of the “Unthinkable”: Rethinking Risk, Roles and Responsibility

Insight from the ISRM Joint breakfast briefing, hosted by the Liberal Club’s Defence and Security Circle, on what resilience really means in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. This breakfast briefing brought together risk, resilience and security leaders to discuss a challenge that feels increasingly familiar: we are no longer managing isolated crises, but operating inside a continuous, interconnected disruption. From this event, one idea surfaced repeatedly:

Stephanie Buller

6 min read

ICPEM Collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).

Paul Smith On the afternoon of the 18 February 2026 the Royal Geographical Society a held symposium that provided expert lectures related to geospatial intelligence for crisis response. The event was held at the RGS’s prestigious Kensington Gore premises in central London. An oil painting of Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) is hung on the wall, Scott being a Royal Navy officer and explorer celebrated for leading two major Antarctic expeditions on the Discovery and the

MollieMathurin

2 min read

Resilience in an Age of the “Unthinkable”: Rethinking Risk, Roles and Responsibility

Stephanie Buller

6 min read

From “Community Risk” to “Community Capability”: why England needs a Community Capability & Asset Register

Across the UK we increasingly talk about resilience as a whole-of-society endeavour. The UK Government’s Resilience Framework is explicit; resilience cannot be delivered by emergency responders alone, it depends on communities, businesses, voluntary organisations and citizens being enabled to play a meaningful role. But there’s a practical problem sitting right in the middle of this ambition. We don’t systematically know what capabilities already exist inside our communities

franklong5

4 min read

From indicators to impact: linking risk, climate adaptation, and resilient cities

Several recent publications have aligned in a way that sharpens a long-standing question for those working in disaster risk management, climate adaptation, and resilience policy. While frameworks, indicators, and guidance continue to improve, how effectively are they translating into reduced risk and improved outcomes on the ground? Across international policy, city planning, community resilience, and health, the challenge is no longer a lack of knowledge. It is how that know

Stephanie Buller

3 min read

Whole-of-Society Resilience: Vision or Overreach?

When the concept of whole-of-society resilience first began to dominate policy debates across the UK and Europe, it was heralded as a transformative step. The idea was compelling: that resilience should not be the domain of government and emergency services alone, but a shared societal endeavour encompassing communities, businesses, voluntary groups, and individuals. In this framing, resilience becomes not just a measure of preparedness for disruption, but a defining charact

franklong5

4 min read

National Conscription — The Silver Bullet for National Resilience and Civil Defence

In the shifting landscape of global geopolitics, the United Kingdom faces mounting challenges to its security and resilience. The ongoing war in Ukraine, tensions in the Indo-Pacific, renewed assertiveness from authoritarian states, and the increasingly blurred line between civilian and military targets all point to one reality: the era of peace dividends is over. Defence, deterrence, and resilience can no longer be viewed as separate silos. In this context, the debate around

franklong5

4 min read

Civil Defence: The Missing Lens in UK Fire & Rescue and Local Resilience Planning

For the last two decades, the organising ideas behind UK resilience have largely been civil protection and counterterrorism . The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 set out a clear framework for local arrangements for civil protection, defining Category 1 responders, including Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities and the duties around risk assessment, emergency planning, business continuity and public information. Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) were created to bring thes

franklong5

9 min read

Civil Protection: The Frontline Against Russian Aggression

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reinforced the image of conventional warfare as tanks, missiles, and drones. Yet, for much of Europe, including the UK, the more immediate threat is not massed battalions on our borders, but the insidious “grey zone” of activity that sits below the threshold of open war. Here, civil protection is not a supporting actor: it is the frontline. Grey zone tactics, disinformation, cyber disruption, sabotage, and the deliberate exploitation of vulner

franklong5

3 min read

Policy and the Comfort Blanket of Control: Why Trust, Doctrine and Command Intent Matter More

Abstract / Teaser Emergency management has become addicted to policy as a comfort blanket for senior leaders—something to wave at...

franklong5

4 min read