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.

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

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 surfac

MollieMathurin

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:

franklong5

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

Learning and Partnership: Supporting the Gambia Fire and Rescue Service

By Paul Cowin Earlier this year, I returned to The Gambia for my third visit, working with the Gambia Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS)...

Paul Cowin

2 min read

Augmented Intelligence in Emergency Management: Opportunities and Guardrails for the Artificial Intelligence FutureArtificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to the realms of science fiction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to the realms of science fiction or theoretical debate. It is already shaping the way...

franklong5

3 min read

Reconceptualising Defence: Integrating Civil Protection into the UK’s 5%NATO Commitment

Written by Frank Long Interlocution On the 25th June 2025 at The Hague, the UK Government signalled its intent to increase defence...

franklong5

6 min read

An Admiral in a landlocked navy – preparing for the unexpected

The US State of Nebraska's highest civic honour is being commissioned as a Nebraska Admiral, or in its rather grander title, being made...

Liran Renert

5 min read

Including Animals in Emergency Planning: Reflections from a National Symposium

On the afternoon of Friday, 25 April 2025, ICPEM convened a wide audience of practitioners, academics and policy makers to focus on a...

franklong5

4 min read

Cyber Attack 2040

One of the standout sessions at the Third National Conference on Societal Resilience (NCSR) 2025 was the Cyber Attack in 2040 exercise....

Stephanie Buller

1 min read