20 Years of ESS

The Emergency Services Show and The Emergency Tech Show returned to the NEC Birmingham on 16-17 September 2026, bringing together thousands of emergency services professionals to explore the latest innovations, technologies, products and solutions shaping the future of emergency response.

As The Emergency Services Show celebrates its 20th anniversary, founding partner EP Barrus reflects on two decades of supporting the event, the evolution of rescue equipment, and why face-to-face conversations continue to shape innovation across the emergency services sector.

As Excelerate Technology celebrates 25 years in the public safety sector and 20 years at The Emergency Services Show, Group Sales Director Matt Wroughton reflects on the changing needs of emergency services, the company’s latest innovations and what the next 20 years of technology could bring.

Simon Ash, UK and Ireland Sales Manager at HAIX, discusses how incremental innovation in PPE footwear and user-led design can provide the marginal gains necessary to improve firefighter turnout times and operational performance.

As The Emergency Services Show celebrates its 20th anniversary, Ballyclare reflects on 18 years at the event and how changing priorities around protection, wellbeing and sustainability have transformed firefighter PPE.

Registration is now open for The Emergency Services Show 2026, co-located with The Emergency Tech Show 2026, returning to the NEC Birmingham on 16-17 September 2026.

As The Emergency Services Show marks 20 years, HAIX has been part of that journey from the very beginning, returning year after year as a founding partner.

After 20 years at The Emergency Services Show, Keela International has seen the event shift from a small gathering to a key meeting point for the sector. For Sales Director Sam Fernando, it still does what it’s meant to do.

After 20 years exhibiting at The Emergency Services Show, since the very start, Vimpex has effectively grown alongside it. We spoke to managing director James Jones about his company’s relationship with the show and why they first took the opportunity to exhibit way back in 2006.  

David Brown looks back on twenty years of The Emergency Services Show, and how he set it up with David Holden to bring the emergency services together in one space.