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More than a decade after its formal introduction, the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) continue to sit at the heart of how the UK’s emergency services plan for, respond to and learn from incidents.
To make the national programme more accessible to our audience, our latest webinar brought together Matt England, Strategic Manager of the national JESIP team, and Chris Dingle, JESIP Delivery Manager, for an in-depth Q&A chaired by Catherine Levin on how interoperability is working in practice and where there is still more to do. With 56 questions asked, it’s clear that the audience were keen to understand more about how JESIP can be implemented across the whole emergency response ecosystem.
As Matt explained, JESIP provides a “tried and trusted methodology” built around shared decision-making, shared situational awareness and clear communication.
“It’s about working together, saving lives and reducing harm,” he said. “That can be at an incident, before an incident, or during planning for events. It’s not just about blue light partners, it’s for anyone involved in a response.”
While JESIP’s origins lie in long-standing interoperability challenges highlighted by reports stretching back decades, its relevance has only increased in the wake of incidents such as the Manchester Arena attack, where failures in communication and coordination had serious consequences.
One of the recurring themes in the discussion was the uneven way JESIP is embedded across services. Chris noted that at command and specialist levels, JESIP is generally well understood and routinely applied. The challenge, he said, is ensuring the same confidence and familiarity among first responders.
“Every time a fire pump goes out, there is generally an officer on board who has had enhanced levels of training around JESIP and their application is really good,” he said, “Whereas, if you’re a police officer or a paramedic or from another agency where perhaps you’ve not had the same level of input, the level of embeddedness is not as strong.”
The issue is usually a lack of exposure. Borrowing frontline staff for extended training is difficult, particularly in a climate of ongoing operational pressure. As a result, the JESIP team is increasingly focused on self-directed learning. Tools such as the JESIP app, short explainer videos and self-learning modules are designed to support this approach, allowing staff to familiarise themselves with concepts such as the Joint Decision Model and structured information sharing without leaving the frontline.
One issue that dominated questions from attendees was communication. JESIP’s emphasis on shared language, including the use of structured messaging such as M/ETHANE, is intended to reduce confusion, improve situational awareness and prevent critical information being misunderstood or missed altogether.
That shared language, the panellists stressed, is about clarity rather than acronyms. Using plain English, avoiding service-specific jargon and checking understanding are all central to effective interoperability. Technology can support this, through digital incident logs, shared messaging platforms and virtual meetings, but both Matt and Chris were clear that it should not replace human interaction.
Joint Organisational Learning (JOL) is another area undergoing development. The system allows organisations to submit learning from incidents and exercises, whether outcomes were positive or problematic.
Matt says that learning should not focus solely on failures. “We should be gripping things that have gone less well and making sure we improve those, but with the same vigour, we should be investigating things that have gone well so that we can share that best practice out around the country,” he said.
The JOL platform is currently being refreshed, with improvements to usability and searchability planned, alongside continued publication of national action notes on issues such as responder safety, CBRN response and supporting people in crisis.
Questions around scope and inclusion also featured heavily during the webinar. While JESIP is funded through policing, fire and ambulance, both speakers emphasised that its principles are intended to apply far more widely.
“The whole range of Category One, Category Two, volunteers, military, anybody that’s coming along to response, should be included.”
Matt England.
This is particularly relevant as new legislative and policy frameworks, such as Martyn’s Law, place greater emphasis on preparedness and early coordination involving venue operators and private security.
Both panellists shared their best practice for people who want to utilise JESIP’s tools and increase their interoperability.
“Get to know your counterparts in peacetime,” Matt said. “Have a coffee, run exercises together, build relationships. It’s far easier to respond alongside someone you know than to meet them for the first time in a high-stress situation.”
Chris highlighted the importance of making JESIP part of your routine. “If you’re going to embed JESIP, make sure you embed it every day and make it muscle memory. We don’t want it to be an add on or something to think about when there’s a major incident. This is something for everyday use.”
A key takeaway was that interoperability only works when it is treated as normal practice. JESIP provides the structure, but its effectiveness depends on how consistently it is used across roles, organisations and everyday incidents. The challenge for responders is to make that shared approach as familiar on the frontline as it is at command level.
You can catch up with the webinar below.
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