Emergency services provide a complex occupational environment for management, where governance structures vary considerably despite the common objective of dealing with emergencies and saving lives. Using evidence from the UK,... [ view full abstract ]
Emergency services provide a complex occupational environment for management, where governance structures vary considerably despite the common objective of dealing with emergencies and saving lives. Using evidence from the UK, this paper discusses the issues and challenges of greater coordination and interoperability between the emergency services. It will analyse the latest UK Government proposals for a new governance model for managing three ‘blue light’ services with disparate histories, professional cultures and management structures. The case is argued for addressing professional cultures in the emergency services for successful co-operation between the services, before controversial and untested structural changes are introduced (Wankhade et al., 2015; Lister, 2014,2013; Wells and Smithson, 2015).
Calls for greater multi-agency cooperation or ‘interoperability’ between emergency services are also motivated by the changing nature of the threats to national security, along with efficiency arguments triggered by fiscal stress and the consequent acute public service budgetary pressures for delivering safe and high quality levels of service within severe resource restraints. However, there are, inevitably, different ways of achieving this, constrained on the ground by contingent factors. Moreover, the fragmentary nature of the emergency management community acts as a barrier to closer interaction between their organisations.
Citing evidence from the UK, we shall identify some of the issues and challenges for greater coordination and interoperability between the emergency services. The latest proposals for a new governance model for emergency services are then considered while highlighting the challenges and opportunities (Knight, 2013). Thus this paper focuses on the issues raised by the recent consultation document, “Enabling closer working between the Emergency Services” (HM Government 2015), surrounding the problem of governance in managing and co-ordinating three services with disparate histories, professional cultures and management structures.
References
HM Govt (2015) Enabling closer working between the Emergency Services, Consultation, HMG, London.
Knight, K. (2013), FACING THE FUTURE: Findings from the review of efficiencies and operations in fire and rescue authorities in England. London: Department for Communities and Local Government.
Lister, S. (2013) The New Politics of the Police: Police and Crime Commissioners and the ‘Operational Independence’ of the Police, Policing, Vol. 7/3 pp. 239-247.
Lister, S. (2014) Scrutinising the role of the Police and Crime Panel in the new era of police governance in England and Wales, Safer Communities, Vol.15/1 pp. 22-31
Wankhade, P., Radcliffe, J. and Heath, G. (2015) Organisational and Professional Cultures: an ambulance perspective, in Wankhade, P. and Mackway-Jones, K. (eds.) Ambulance Services: Leadership and Management Perspectives, Springer: US, pp. 65-80.
Wells, H and Smithson, H (2015) Grey areas and fine lines: negotiating operational independence in the era of the police and crime commissioner, Safer Communities, Vol. 14/4 pp. 193-204.
