Multi Agency Major Incident Training was delivered by Salterton Associates in Montserrat between 30 October and 3 November 2023. The programme comprised blended learning, with some didactic delivery of new knowledge and a large proportion of participant centred group and individual work. It was based on Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) but also incorporated the principles of the UK National Risk Register and the emergency planning principles of the UK Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
The challenge was to overcome inter-organisational trust issues and develop joint emergency planning across sixteen participants from thirteen Montserrat organisations with little prior experience of working together.
Participants prioritised three major incident risks to Montserrat — hurricane, fibre optic failure, and oil spill — and developed joint emergency response plans using JESIP principles, refined through didactic sessions, case studies, and exercises, and presented to a mock resilience forum for review.
Strategic Challenge
Sixteen participants took part in the training, representing thirteen organisations: DMCA, Fire & Ambulance Service, Port Authority, Airport, RMPS, RMDF, Governor’s Office, Health, Social Services, Public Works, Attorney General’s Office, Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Finance & Economic Management. Most organisations had their own emergency plans but there had been very little joint working on joint plans in the past – overcoming inter-organisational trust issues and encouraging joint working was an acknowledged strategic challenge for the trainees.
Operational Challenge
Responding jointly to develop operational responses to real high priority risks in Montserrat was an operational challenge for the participants.
The biggest risks to success were a firstly any perceived lack of relevance to participants’ work in Montserrat and secondly any reluctance or refusal for the 13 represented organisations to work together to develop emergency plans. These risks were mitigated by encouraging participants themselves to identify the major threats to Montserrat so that they felt ownership from the outset and by mentoring them through the development of emergency response plans that were realistic and pertinent to their own operational circumstances. This bespoke approach led to significant buy in from participants and to the development of highly detailed emergency plans.
In post programme questionnaires, all participants registered a significant increase in the level of their knowledge of multi agency major incident emergency planning and in their confidence to work together in response.
To create a sense of reality and ownership, participants were asked to prioritise the major incident risks to Montserrat, using National Risk Register methodology. They were asked to choose three high priority risks and, guided by the facilitators and informed by their new knowledge, to draft emergency response plans. They chose hurricane, fibre optic failure and oil spill. Didactic sessions, case studies and exercises were used to teach and reinforce the use of JESIP in responding to these major incidents. Learning from these sessions was applied to their plans, which were developed and honed throughout the week, culminating in presentations to a mock resilience forum for review.
User testing and then roll out of the upgraded Overseas Territories Regional Criminal Intelligence System (OTRCIS) which includes practically training, coaching and mentoring of all staff within the police service and other agencies of a British Overseas Territory (BOTs) to enhance organisational capability and capacity of business activity/service delivery moving from paper-based processes to a digitalised platform.
Multi-year support to the FCDO and the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS), delivering a complex change programme on a small-island Overseas Territory.
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