Representatives from SecuriGroup recently attended a conference held by Police Scotland and citizenAID, a charity organisation which aims to guide the public to react safely and efficiently in the event of a serious incident.

CitizenAID has been developed by military and civilian clinicians in the UK who have deep experience of treating blast and gunshot injuries, and who have developed systems in use nationally and internationally to treat multiple casualties in both civilian and military environments.

The conference featured a number of panellists drawn from senior police officials, military personnel, counter terrorism experts, and representatives from the fire, medical and ambulance services.

It is vital to stay engaged with information sharing organisations such as CitizenAID. To stay up to date with best practice guidance, security companies must lead the way in our industry by seeking out valuable resources and developing helpful new initiatives.

Citizen Aid

citizenAID is a free app suitable for all smart phones which provides clear and simple actions informing the general public on immediate actions in a shooting, stabbing or bomb incident and how to give life-saving first aid to the injured. Familiarisation training is to be available free online. A paper pocket guide is also available.

In the current climate, information and support can be invaluable.

Resources such as CitizenAID are designed to guide the public to react safely, to pass effective messages to the emergency services, to prioritise the injured and to give life-saving first aid.

It is important to engage with information sharing organisations and police stakeholders to share and receive industry best practice.

The valuable information can be used to refine policies, update and refresh training practices, and consider areas where value could be added to our services.

As medical experts have advised, the first ten minutes are vital. With the support of this app, people can provide first response assistance before the ambulance services can arrive.

Avoidable deaths can occur very quickly, particularly from bleeding, with injuries from a bomb or shooting, and these events often involve multiple victims. Military experience from treating casualties in conflict has shown how vital immediate action in these circumstances can be.

CitizenAID takes recent military experience to create a simple system that is accessible to the general public to use in the first minutes when there are multiple casualties from a shooting, stabbing or a bomb.

For example, it provides advice on what to do on discovering a suspect bomb and the immediate actions to take after a bomb has exploded. Simple steps to organise the scene and pass the right information to the emergency services will improve bystander safety and ensure that those most in need are treated first.

Understanding the Threat

The threat from terrorism continues to evolve, ranging from international-related terrorism, the continued support for Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT), to the radicalisation of individuals embracing extreme religious or political views who may aspire to commit acts of terrorism.

There is a tendency is to see large scale groups such as ISIS as the sole face of modern terrorism.

The truth is that the landscape is much more complex.

Attacks can be perpetrated by a number of different groups, varying in background and motive, with members not restricted to any ethnicity, religion, or social class.

In addition to outlining the diversity of groups, inputs on counter-terrorism practices – such as 'Run, Hide, Tell' – also highlighted the variety of attacks which the public faces today.

The most prevalent type of attacks now are classed as "low Level" usually involving vehicles, and collision impacts as opposed to ballistics or explosives.

Importance of Knowledge

 Lt Col Paul Hunt, a representative for the military and a trauma expert in Iraq, provided some invaluable advice on the military perspective of incident recovery immediately after it occurs.

The greatest threat to a patient after serious injury is time, and the first 10 minutes are vital.

This period is where you have the opportunity to save the most lives.

Following any serious incident, the first priority for the emergency services is public safety. This can often mean that access to those who injured must be delayed until an area can be deemed safe to enter.

In circumstances like these, it is clear that knowledge, communication and emergency skills at the point of injury can prevent avoidable deaths.

CitizenAID empowers the public in these difficult situations to help themselves, their family and friends, and the wider community, while waiting for the emergency services.

It provides the public with information to encourage immediate action that can save lives.