Milton Keynes has taken a major step towards becoming the first city in the UK to declare itself ‘Ready to Respond’ in the event of a major incident.
The MK Ready to Respond breakfast seminar, hosted today at Unity Place by MyMiltonKeynes BID, brought together industry leaders, emergency services, and local businesses to focus on enhancing the city’s resilience.
Attendees, from businesses across Milton Keynes, heard from experts including Counter Terrorism Policing South East, who delivered insights into how to prepare for unexpected emergencies, highlighting key national initiatives such as ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) and SCaN (See, Check and Notify).
Professor Sir Keith Porter, co-founder of CitizenAID and one of the UK’s leading experts in clinical traumatology, spoke about the critical importance of immediate first aid following a major incident. CitizenAID is advocating for a shift in official guidance from Run, Hide, Tell to Run, Hide, Tell – and When It’s Safe, Treat. This approach emphasises the need for the public to be prepared to provide lifesaving treatment once it is safe to do so, rather than waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The business breakfast, kickstarted a programme of work being led by paramedic Joe McMahon, whose family own Pink Punters nightclub in Bletchley. He’s launching the Ready to Respond campaign, in partnership with citizenAID, which focuses on providing individuals, families, communities, organisations and businesses access to simple training, basic equipment, and clear, easy-to-follow guidelines — and where these are not available, empowering people to improvise in order to help save lives.
Joe said: “Throughout my 40 years as a paramedic, I’ve responded to countless incidents — both large and small — where people and organisations were simply unprepared for the unfolding emergency. Having witnessed too many preventable deaths and unnecessary suffering due to a lack of early, simple care such as controlling severe bleeding, I am passionate about ensuring that individuals, families, communities, organisations, and businesses are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to respond effectively in a crisis.”
The event also highlighted the great work Thames Valley Police are doing in Milton Keynes through Project Servator, an initiative designed to deter and detect criminal activity through unpredictable, high-visibility police deployments. It also featured engaging panel discussions with emergency planners from Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH), Milton Keynes City Council, and centre:mk—one of the UK’s largest shopping centres—who shared insights into how they are strengthening their own preparedness plans to keep the city safe.
Jill Farnsworth, CEO of MyMiltonKeynes BID, highlighted why this initiative is so important:
"Nobody wants to imagine a major incident happening in Milton Keynes, but the reality is that emergencies can occur anywhere. We are proud to be part of the Milton Keynes Ready to Respond campaign and drive this forward with our businesses. It’s far better to be prepared and ready to respond than to be forced to learn difficult lessons after the fact."
Thames Valley Police, Safer MK, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner were also among the organisations offering practical advice on security and emergency planning.
More information can be found at www.mymiltonkeynes.co.uk/ready-to-respond
