The Restrata Blog

On the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack carried out against the people of Manchester, we look back and remember the victims and their families, and we assess the response. As we mourn what was lost, we must also look to what we can learn from this tragedy, and what steps can be taken towards the end goal of making our cities, and our people, safer. Now that post-incident investigations have released their findings we can see the professional assessment of what went wrong, how effective the response was, and what more we can do in the service of saving lives and protecting the innocent.

2017 has seen countless attacks on the general public around the globe, with attackers selecting locations considered "soft targets" as an easy option to cause maximum impact, not only by the physical damage generated, but also in terms of the media coverage, particularly across social media platforms. The personal stories from those present when an incident occurs, and the accompanying images and videos from such attacks spread like wild fire across social media, and instills real fear amongst the public. The incitement of fear is a core aim of such terror groups and at present, this trend shows no sign of stopping.

In a world where threat and risk profiles are constantly changing, it has never been more important for businesses to understand the key aspects of emergency planning, and have a plan in place should the worst happen.

The Global Business Travel Association projected a 3.5 percent increase in 2017 on corporate travel spend, indicating that staff will continue to take on overseas assignments or travel abroad for short business trips, and with governments around the globe implementing legislation to ensure that workers outside of the office are protected, organisations require a cost effective and easily deployable solution to manage employee travel risks, from tracking and emergency alarms, to full incident response and management.

If you choose to become a company family liaison representative, and unfortunately have to perform that role one day, reason number one: it will probably turn out to be the best thing you’ve ever done in your working life. Not because it’s good for your CV, or because others will witness it and think you are wonderful, but because you’ll have supported a grieving family through the darkest and most difficult days of their lives. You’ll have provided a shoulder to cry on and a practical, honest account of what’s happening at any given point. You’ll have helped to make the unbearable bearable.

In the 5th century BC, General Sun Tzu wrote in “The Art of War” that “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”. Given that effective Incident Management requires the formulation and application of appropriate tactics to support operational response whilst complying with strategic intent, it can reasonably be said that the fundamental principles of Incident Management have not changed in centuries.