New qualification in major incident management and emergency services interoperability

8. ABC web imageABC Awards has been working with AlphaPapaGolf Training Services and the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) to develop a new qualification designed to build awareness and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the emergency services in major incidents.

The Level 2 Certificate in Major Incident Management and Emergency Services Interoperability (601/7192/3), regulated by Ofqual, will equip learners with knowledge of multi-agency communications and the roles of the emergency services. It is based on JESIP’s Interoperability Framework, guidelines which focus on police, fire and ambulance interoperability in the early stages of a major incident.

Andrew Rogers, Senior Partner at AlphaPapaGolf Training Services, said, “I approached ABC with a new vision for multi-agency training. They are a visionary organisation who provided support and the mechanics to make this a reality. We now have a professional qualification which underpins industry needs and application.”

Emergency services personnel as well as individuals looking to work in this competitive sector will find this qualification beneficial. It will also be suitable for disaster management and security professionals, and others who would like to develop their knowledge of how to respond to a major incident with a multi-agency scenario.

Centres may wish to offer this qualification alongside other public services qualifications to strengthen learners’ knowledge and prepare them for working in this responsive sector.

Fiona Grant, Director of Awarding Services at ABC Awards, believes the new Level 2 qualification will give learners an edge when applying for public and emergency services sector roles. Fiona said, “The public and emergency services sectors are becoming increasingly competitive, with applications hugely outweighing the number of positions available. ABC Awards has been working closely with JESIP and AlphaPapaGolf Training Services to develop this qualification to enable individuals to manage major incidents and communications across multi-agencies. It will provide not only our current, but also our future generation of public and emergency services people with greater knowledge and understanding of the importance of interoperability.”

The qualification’s mandatory units will include: understanding major incidents; knowledge of roles and responsibilities in the emergency services; understanding law and procedure in the emergency services sector; and joint emergency services decision making

Learners will also have the opportunity to take optional modules including dynamic risk assessments, collecting evidence from an incident and understanding post-incident procedures.