In focus:Emerging threats and resilience

Laura Gibb, Executive Director at the Security Industry Authority, reflects on the impact of Martyn’s Law on emergency services.

The organisers of The Emergency Services Show have launched Emergency Services & Resilience Week, a new national initiative bringing together the UK’s emergency and resilience community to strengthen preparedness, coordination and response capability. 

UK Resilience Academy (part of the Cabinet Office) has launched a national stakeholder consultation in partnership with The Workforce Development Trust on a set of proposed standards designed to strengthen strategic capability in resilience and emergency preparedness across the UK.

Meeting in Manchester last week, fire chiefs heard more detail on the plans for a College of Fire and Rescue ahead of the public consultation due to start at the end of May, with the NFCC Chair suggesting its remit should embrace resilience.

A new parliamentary inquiry examining the UK’s ability to prepare for and respond to major national crises is set to begin this week.

Some thoughts on the outcomes of this year’s National Conference on Societal Resilience and ways to improve the intersection between the voluntary sector with the emergency services.

Despite more than two thirds (67%) of UK households reporting that they have been impacted by recent storms and floods since the start of 2026, nearly three quarters (73%) have not signed up to receive flood alerts, according to new research from the British Red Cross.

In this second part interview, Alex Woodman looks ahead to the challenges the system faces as risks evolve, from overlapping emergencies and regulatory change to strained resources and shares what needs to change to ensure communities are protected when it matters most.

A new report warns the UK is falling behind key allies on home defence, with fragmented planning and limited preparedness leaving emergency services and critical infrastructure exposed to modern threats.

Drawing on experience across policing, fire, local government and resilience, including leading roles during Covid-19 and the Grenfell response, Alex Woodman, Chief Fire Officer of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, reflects on the pressures facing Local Resilience Forums.