Welcome to the home of the resilience profession

12 Aug 19

Out Go the Lights

In light of recent events, the risk of widespread power failure has seen a surge in interest. In this EPC note we share some of our thoughts on this current topic.

07 Aug 19

August's Book of the Month: Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd

Our latest Book of the Month is Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd, a compelling read that documents the often unseen side to forensic pathology. Using his vast experience, Dr Shepherd provides an insight into the realities faced; from the struggle to keep up with public expectations to the personal toll it took on him. Find the review here.

05 Aug 19

Understanding the Reservoir/Dam Failure Risk

At the time of writing it looks as if a complete failure of Toddbrook reservoir dam may have been averted, after nearly 5 days of massive effort by responders. But it’s too early to be completely sure and many people are still evacuated from their homes in Whaley Bridge as a precautionary measure.    

02 Aug 19

Smart Cities, Individual Rights and the Future

Does the newsworthiness of an event trump our right to privacy? And do aspects of smart cities create a potential threat to individual rights to privacy? We explore these questions in our latest blog.

01 Aug 19

When the Heavens Open

Recovery operations are well under way in the North of England, as people, communities and businesses start to rebuild and count the cost after the recent floods.  What is it about surface water flooding that means they seem to come out of nowhere? A few thoughts about this “other” sort of flood.

31 Jul 19

Safety Advisory Groups Going 'Out of Business'?

Risks at Events and in Crowded Places:

Now that we’ve launched the latest edition of our national guidance ‘Working in safety Advisory Groups’, we’ve reflected on how far we have come in recent years – and how far we haven’t!

30 Jul 19

Out Now! The Summer 2019 Alert, Annual Journal of The Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management

The summer 2019 annual journal of ICPEM has been released & we couldn't be more excited. A huge well done to the members of our team, who have had their papers featured. Read the journal here...

30 Jul 19

Trouble Getting In Touch Today?

We are currently experiencing some technical issues with our telephone system, please read if you are trying to get in touch with us today.

25 Jul 19

Introducing EPC Short Guides

We’ve gathered together a series of our blogposts and articles into single documents we are calling EPC Short Guides. These Guides cover a diverse range of subjects. We hope you find them useful and thought-provoking.

25 Jul 19

The Heat is On

As we brace ourselves for an exceptionally hot day with record-breaking temperatures, it seems right to reflect on the heat wave as a national emergency risk.

22 Jul 19

Five Months In: Reflections on the EPC Insight Programme

Today we are reflecting on our Insight Programme, looking at the success and the future of the programme. 

22 Jul 19

It's Here - Free National Guidance: The Revised UK Good Practice Guide to Working in Safety Advisory Groups

Bev Griffiths, one of our capability leaders, has been working with leading trainer, safety advisor and national subject-matter expert, Vanessa Mawer, to bring this practical guidance right up to date.

17 Jul 19

Next Generation Resilience Professionals

Join us, as we take a closer look at some of the future resilience professionals. We've taken some time to engage with students and new starters in the industry to understand why they want to be in the resilience industry.  

21 Jun 19

EPC Award Winning Employee

EPC's Resilience Knowledge Co-ordinator Jennifer Newton wins second prize in the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM) national essay competition and we couldn't be prouder. Read more about it here.

19 Jun 19

Analogies and Metaphors in Cyberspace

Join us, as we take a closer look at our resilience book of the month 'Cyber War Will Not Happen', written by Thomas Rid

18 Jun 19

Latest Webinar: Virtual Operations Support Teams

Take a look at our webinar about Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST) delivered by Nigel Kay, Associate Lecturer at the EPC, talking about how voluntary sector organisations are extending their role by sourcing actionable intelligence in the digital space to support responders in emergencies.

18 Jun 19

Launching the Resilience Calendar

Today we launch the latest addition to our EPC Insight programme - The Resilience Calendar. With so many great conferences, exhibitions, workshops and events taking place in our industry, we don't want you to miss out so we have brought them together in one handy place for you.

18 Jun 19

New: Lightning Guidance for Outdoor Events

The dangers of lightning are widely understood, however the level of threat at outdoor events where crowds gather is often overlooked. This new guidance provides practical advice on managing lightning risk, crowd safety and the protection of temporary structures, electrical equipment and power systems. Read what we have to say about it.

18 Jun 19

Spotlight on Deborah Higgins, Head of EPC

Read more about Head of the EPC Deborah Higgins in her latest interview

18 Jun 19

We are Recruiting!

14 Jun 19

Drought Risk on World 'Combat Desertification and Drought' Day

We take a fresh look at drought risk ahead of 'World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought' on the 17th of June 2019

13 Jun 19

Changes to the EPC Resilience Round-Up

The Resilience Round-Up has changed, find out how.

13 Jun 19

More Tools & Templates Added

We've uploaded some fun and useful word searches to our Tools and Templates page. Download them now

13 Jun 19

New Additions to the EPC Disaster Database

Take a look at the new additions on our Disaster Database. 

13 Jun 19

Staying Safe in the Modern World, Online Personal Resilience Course

The second running of our free online course has just finished and we're taking a look at the results.

13 Jun 19

The EPC Free Webinar Programme

The EPC Insight Team are hoping to work up a programme of webinars for the latter part of this year and into 2020. They’ll be free of charge but the thing is; we want to do them on subjects that you, the practitioners, really want – rather than on what we think you want, so please get in touch with topics you would like to see us cover.

11 Jun 19

Latest Paper from the EPC - Controlling Your Crisis

We are pleased to announce our latest publication from the Emergency Planning College. It’s called Controlling Your Crisis and is written by Mark Leigh, our Resilience Capability Lead who runs the EPC Insight Programme. Its core theme, establishing a sense of control in a crisis, is likely to be your first and most immediate priority.

10 Jun 19

Disaster Risks and the World Environment

Last week's World Environment Day got us thinking about how our business relates to the global environment. Which of the disaster risks we have identified and assessed have truly global implications?  This can be a moot point; there are numerous risks in our published register of civil emergencies that could have some international consequences of one kind or another, or would affect neighbouring countries in the same way they would affect us. 

30 May 19

HM Government of Gibraltar Crowd Safety & Security Management Training

Read about the crowd safety & security management training we've recently delivered for HM Government of Gibraltar

23 May 19

EPC - First Placement Student Farewell

The time has come to say goodbye to the Emergency Planning Colleges' very first placement student Jennifer Newton. Jenny has been a fantastic addition to the team here at EPC and has taken the time to share her thoughts on the past twelve months as she prepares to hand over the role of 'Resilience Knowledge Coordinator' to the next student in just a few months’ time. 

22 May 19

Disaster Database Update

We've just updated our Disaster Database and would like to say thank you to many of you that have contributed your recommendations and given us some amazing feedback. 

10 May 19

Here Comes the Sun

With World Astronomy Day tomorrow soon our thoughts turned to the risk of space weather and its implications - for resilience planners, their communities and, indeed, all of us.  It’s a fascinating and important risk, so we thought we’d bring it into the spotlight in this blogpost.

10 May 19

Thinking Big About Risk - The Global Risks Report 2019

Thinking Big About Risk

09 May 19

New Guidance from The EPC

New Guidance from the Emergency Planning College: The UK Good Practice Guide to Working in Safety Advisory Groups

18 Apr 19

ICPEM Conference 2019

Registration is now open for the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management's (ICPEM) annual conference 2019: 'The Reality of Leading in a Crisis' will be held in London on Wednesday 19th June and features many experienced and inspirational speakers throughout the day, including our Head of the Emergency Planning College, Deborah Higgins. Read on to learn more and register your place.

18 Apr 19

Run, Hide, Tell - International Day of Monuments & Sites

Today is the International Day of Monuments and Sites and as many of these sites can be a hive of tourist activity they often become incredibly crowded places. We've taken this opportunity to look into staying safe whilst in crowded places and the Action Counters Terrorism campaign 'Run, Hide, Tell'. Have a read.

17 Apr 19

Just Below the Cyber Horizon - Follow Up

Following up on our recent 'Just Below the Cyber Horizon' blog post about the future impact of quantum computers, one of our industry colleagues (who supports our own cyber training programmes) added these personal reflections to the debate. We like the way he describes quantum mechanics as “magic”, and thank him for a very clear and understandable description of why they will change the whole cyber security game – it’s a matter of when, not if!

11 Apr 19

Business Continuity Management - The Key to Business Survival

In today's world your business already has a lot to contend with. Being resilient to business risks is key to survival. Understanding these risks, to then develop, implement, embed and maintain a Business Continuity programme into your organisation is key to supporting business resilience.

11 Apr 19

Evacuating Pets

Our pets, no matter how small, large, fluffy or scaly, are a huge part of our lives. We love and often depend on them as we would a family member, missing and grieving for them as if they were human. Emergencies happen without warning and all too often our beloved pets can get forgotten when we start planning for the worst, so let's get prepared.

02 Apr 19

Just Below the Cyber Horizon?

Mark Leigh, one of our Capability Leads here at the EPC gathers his thoughts on 'Cyber Horizon Scanning' and looks at this years' World Economic Forum (WEF) annual report. 

02 Apr 19

The EPC April Quiz

Throughout April we will be posting resilience quiz questions, offering you the chance to win a 10% discount voucher, redeemable against the cost of one of our 2-day prospectus courses held here at the Emergency Planning College in Easingwold. 

27 Mar 19

Occasional Paper 14: Understanding Community Resilience from the Perspective of a Population Experienced in Emergencies: Some Insights from Cumbria

Following a week of floods, including up here in York, we thought we’d mark World Meteorological Day (last Saturday) by re-visiting an important piece of practical research. We commissioned Dr Hugh Deeming to look into the issue of community resilience through the lens of a community that had suffered multiple recent emergencies – including (but not limited to) flooding.

20 Mar 19

Tools and Templates - An Experiment!

Here's something new from the EPC Insight programme. We are sharing our favourite graphics from our courseware and publications in the hope you find them useful. All we ask is that you acknowledge us if or when you use them, and let us know what you think.

07 Mar 19

Launching the EPC's 'Top Texts'

EPC's Top Texts is an evolving collection of what we currently believe to be the 'must reads' for any professional resilience manager. So, here's our list. Each will eventually have a short review explaining why we have chosen this and each month we will choose one of them to highlight for special attention. 

05 Mar 19

Webinar: Virtual Operations Support Team

In this webinar, EPC Associate Nigel Kay delves more deeply into the potential benefits of digital volunteering, considers the pitfalls of social media, and asks what support and training may be required to develop the VOST concept more widely across the UK.

22 Feb 19

Disaster Database

Disasters and emergency situations have always played a part in shaping the world we live in today. Legislation, the economy and even our culture can change dramatically due to these terrible events that have helped carve out our history.

We feel that looking back and understanding these events, is just as important as looking ahead and anticipating the future, this is why we'd like to introduce the Disaster Database.

20 Feb 19

Globalisation and Vulnerability

We’re currently researching the impact of globalisation on local resilience.  But what has this got to do with civil protection and emergency planners?  Well, it’s about how it can create hidden communities of marginalised and vulnerable people in our midst.  And that’s everywhere.

20 Feb 19

Occasional Paper 20: When Angels Fall From the Sky

Today is World Social Justice Day, and social justice, like civil protection, depends on social inclusivity. With this theme in mind we are sharing a paper that we published back in 2017, 'When Angels Fall From the Sky - Helping Children and Young People Cope in the Aftermath of a Disaster'. We think it still makes a good contribution to understanding this subject which is, after all, a relatively recent addition to the civil protection narrative.

15 Feb 19

Occasional Paper 22: Anticipating & Preventing Emergencies

We all talk about “horizon scanning”, but how do you actually do it?  That’s the starting point for this paper, which then goes on to examine its connection to something else that the official guidance is fairly quiet about – preventing emergencies. 

14 Feb 19

Executive Masterclass in Business Continuity

We recently released a new date in April for our popular Business Continuity Masterclass for Senior Managers.

13 Feb 19

Go In, Tune In, Stay In - What Does It Mean to a New Generation?

“Go in, stay in, tune in”.  It’s good advice and a snappy mantra that have served us well for a long time.  It means take shelter (preferably at home), stay there and turn the radio on.  What are your thoughts about it today (on World Radio Day)?

08 Feb 19

Out Go the Lights

David Alexander recently published an article in Alert - the journal of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, called Black-Sky Thinking. It's a really good article - deserves a read!

07 Feb 19

A Process Approach to Crisis Management

Our Associate, Roger Gomm, recently published an interesting article in Alert - the Journal of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. It's a really useful introduction to EPC's 'way and purpose'.

31 Jan 19

2019 Training Courses from The EPC

We recently released new dates for our 2019 training course programme. 

18 Jan 19

Job vacancy: Emergency Planning & Resilience Officer

A permanent opportunity has arisen at Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service in the Operational Policy department, based at Service Headquarters, Hindlip Park.

15 Jan 19

Career Opportunity: Business Administration Apprentice

We have an exciting two year opportunity for a Business Administration Apprentice in our international team. We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who is keen to develop their skills in this area.

20 Dec 18

Cyber Pathfinder Training Scheme (Free)

Commissioned by the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government and funded by the National Cyber Security Programme.

05 Oct 18

EPC in Bloom at the BALI Awards

EPC Wins BALI Landscaping Award 2018 

11 Sep 18

Webinar: It's Not "Either, Or"; It's "Both and More" From BC to Organisational Resilience

As part of the BCI Education Month this September, EPC's Head of Business Continuity Martin Fenlon MBCI will host an hour long webinar on the 17th September (14:00 - 15:00) 

07 Sep 18

EPC's Director of Resilience Bev Griffiths featured article in Counter Terror Business Magazine

EPC's Director of Resilience Bev Griffiths has written an article that has been published on Counter Terror Business Magazine around "Ensuring Crowded Places Protection".

06 Sep 18

BCI (Business Continuity Institute) Education Month

We are offering you 10% off the cost of a 2018 business continuity training course when booked online during September.

28 Jun 18

Webinar: People in Emergencies

A free webinar hosted by Dr Mike Drayton and Mr Stephen Nimmo as they answer the question; "How can we be better at helping communities to recover following a disaster?" on 31st July (14:00 - 15:00)

27 Jun 18

New Training Course: People in Emergencies

Disasters cannot be prevented, but their impact on people's lives can be reduced. Those who have been caught in a disaster can suffer from adverse psychological effects, impacting upon their chances of recovery.

19 Feb 18

The New EPC Information Centre Collection

The EPC Library & Information Centre is currently going through a period of consolidation and digitisation, making more of our resources available online to the wider emergency planning community

22 Jan 18

Calling all Safety Advisory Group Members

We are currently reviewing the UK Good Practice Guide to Working Safety Advisory Groups and need your support to ensure the revised guide truly reflects current practices, issues and concerns

20 Dec 17

Launch of new course; Security Risk Management for Crowded Places

Today we launch a brand new training course, the first of it's kind in the UK. Especially for those who manage crowded places, such as stadia and arenas, this course with help you plan for and manage the impact of intentional acts of criminality (such as terrorism and other crimes).

15 Dec 17

EPC 2017 Annual Review

As 2017 comes to a close, we look back on the year's achievements and share our plans for 2018.

08 Nov 17

UK Security Expo 2017

EPC's Director of Resilience Bev Griffiths will be speaking at UK Security Expo 2017 on the 29 - 30 November at Olympia, London.

27 Oct 17

BCI World Expo 2017

The EPC will be exhibiting at the BCI World Expo 2017 at Novotel London West on the 7th - 8th November - the largest business continuity and resilience exhibition in the UK. Make sure you come and see us on Stand 45!

04 Oct 17

A New Service from the EPC

Managed Services: Emergency Planning & Business Continuity

We are offering you our people. This innovative approach could involve us embedding subject matter experts into your organisation to support from within. By letting us take the strain, we will support you and your teams in developing arrangements that will build resilience within your organisation.

26 Sep 17

Launching EPC Resilience Round-Up

Today we launch a new information sharing service. The EPC Resilience Round-Up is a regular bulletin of updates, latest news and useful links to recent developments in Civil Protection, Counter-Terrorism and other related topics. Click 'Read More' below for the latest edition or HERE to sign up to the mailing list.

25 Aug 17

10% Off Business Continuity Courses in September

In support of the BCI Education Month we are offering customers 10% off the price of our 2017 business continuity courses when booked during September. Don't miss out!

25 Aug 17

EPC Sponsoring the BCI Education Month

We are pleased to be the sponsor of the Business Continuity Institute's (BCI) Education Month in September.  Sign up to access free webinars, discounted training, academic and research resources, mock tests and a competition to win vouchers worth £100.

10 Aug 17

Marking the International Day for Disaster Reduction 13th October 2017

The EPC fully supports the Sendai agenda and the International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13th.

04 Aug 17

Free EPC Evening Lecture

How Good Are You?

Expectations, Standards and Assurance in UK Resilience

With speaker:  Dr Robert MacFarlane

Wednesday 20th September (8:00pm - 9:30pm) 

12 Jul 17

New Course:

Local Authority Chief Officers: Delivering Civil Protection

This 1 day course is designed to help chief officers understand how effective emergency management works in practice.

08 Jun 17

Welcome to Planning for Evacuation

The Planning for Evacuation course provides the basic knowledge to develop local emergency evacuation and shelter plans and supporting arrangements.

31 May 17

Free EPC Evening Lecture

Military Aid to the Civil Authority with speaker Richard Garston

Wednesday 19th July (8:00pm - 9:30pm)

26 May 17

Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework: What does it mean for UK resilience practitioners?

We are pleased to launch our latest Occasional Paper, ‘Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework: What does it mean for UK resilience practitioners?’

25 May 17

Joint EPC & Merseyside LRF Conference

On Monday 22^nd May, the day that ended so tragically in Manchester, we held a conference with members and colleagues of the Merseyside Local Resilience Forum.  The title was Terrorism and Community Cohesion.

24 May 17

We Urge You to Follow NaCTSO Advice

In light of Monday’s terrorist attack at Manchester Arena, the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) have reviewed and updated their website to include the very latest guidance and advice.

23 May 17

iLearn Undergoing Maintenance

Our online iLearn platform is undergoing maintenance and will be unavailable from 24^th to the 25^th May 2017. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

08 May 17

Free EPC Evening Lecture

Who is the saboteur? How to make better decisions when you are under extreme pressure

Wednesday 21st June (8:00pm - 9:30pm)

04 May 17

EPC's Occasional Paper 20

EPC's Occasional Paper 20 "When Angels Fall from the Sky: Helping Children and Young People Cope in the Aftermath of a Disaster" by Helen Baxter is available to download here

02 May 17

Welcome to Operational Emergency Management: Bringing JESIP to Life

This Cabinet Office endorsed two day training course is completely unique. It brings together multi-agency practitioners from Cat 1 and 2 responding organisations to learn IEM methodology and is a great opportunity to share experiences and learn.

24 Apr 17

Free EPC Evening Lecture

Lessons From Disasters? Looking For A New Way To Learn

Wednesday 17th May (8:00pm - 9:30pm)

29 Mar 17

EPC's Position Paper 6

EPC's Position Paper 6 "Preparing People: a Critical Element of UK Resilience" by Dr Robert MacFarlane is available to download here.

17 Mar 17

We'd like your opinion

We would value your feedback on the development of EPC's online learning.

10 Mar 17

A Day in the Life

Today we launch our new series of articles that feature some of our amazing customers. In the first issue of the series we feature Alex Sutcliffe, North Yorkshire's Major Incident Team Manager.

09 Feb 17

Another successful delivery of 'Starting out in civil protection' training

Last week the EPC completed a successful delivery of its flagship course 'Starting out in civil protection' at the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service HQ. 

07 Feb 17

EPC's Occasional Paper 19

03 Feb 17

Free EPC Evening Lecture

This evening lecture provides an opportunity for emergency management professionals to discuss David Mellor’s latest paper for the EPC’s Occasional Paper series: “Identifying and Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Adults in Emergencies” which was recently published on 20th January 2017.

02 Feb 17

Crowd Safety Management Training for British Embassies

This week we delivered a crowd safety foundation course to fifteen delegates from British Embassies across the globe.

26 Jan 17

New Training Course: Rest Centre Management

The EPC are delighted to announce the release of a new one day training course  “Rest Centre Management” which offers a unique insight into how to develop a Critical Incident Management Team able to set up and manage a standard rest centre.

24 Jan 17

EPC's Occasional Paper 18

The EPC are delighted to announce the launch of Occasional Paper 18 "Identifying and Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Adults in Emergencies".

19 Jan 17

Delivering Training in Scotland

At the EPC we recognise that Scotland's emergency management community are looking for Scottish solutions to Scottish training and development needs.

So, we have consulted with our partners in Scotland and they have helped us to select a group of training courses from our prospectus to complement the training they provide for Scotland.

21 Dec 16

Government BC Professionalism Conference

Last week we hosted over 40 business continuity professionals from selected Government departments at the inaugural Government BC Professional Conference. The conference aimed to review the latest Business Continuity Management developments affecting the Government Departments and associated bodies.

02 Nov 16

The importance of creating disturbance in emergency management

Dr Lucy Easthope will be discussing the importance of creating disturbance in emergency management during the latest of the internationally renowned seminar series. She will be kicking off the two day thought provoking and intensive event with an update on her own approaches to evaluating effective practice in near misses and incidents.

01 Nov 16

New Partnerships in Modern Mediums and the Benefits of Social Media Management

Shelley Wright, Director of Communications and Engagement for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will share a signature approach to blending traditional communications activity with real-time humanitarian support at the EPC's latest seminar: With a Little Help from Our Friends.

20 Oct 16

Command and Control in Complex Incidents – A Multi-Agency Perspective on Changes Since London 7/7

Robert Flute, Ambulance Advisor for National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU), will deliver his views on the events of the Paris attacks and how the emergency services and supporting agencies are likely to respond should a similar event occur in the UK.