UK first responders visit 48th FW discuss emergency management

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
The U.K. and the U.S. Air Force utilize different programs when it comes to emergency response efforts.

The U.K. program for emergency response is the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles, or JESIP, while the U.S. Air Force utilizes the Incident Command System.

“We need to have cross-communication between our military and the outside partners in emergency management, to make sure that we are all speaking the same language and exercising the same,” said Col. Bradley Nielsen, 48th Medical Group deputy commander. “We are not a standalone…we should be talking across all the boundaries.”

Representatives from 17 U.K. emergency service organizations, as well as 24 U.S. military first responders, learned about both programs during the meeting.

“This event was perfect,” said Carl Daniels, JESIP deputy responsible officer. “Now we need to make sure we continue this work and look for more opportunities on how we can work together and integrate.”

With the success of the event, the 48th MDG plans to continue these presentations annually, while expanding the training into a joint practical application exercise that will be mutually beneficial for both U.S. and U.K. participants.