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Major Incidents and capabilities

Operating in a major global city, we respond to major incidents ranging from fires and transport accidents to weather events and terrorism. 

Londoners need us to be prepared for all such eventualities and to be a global exemplar in terms on our response, learning and improving after each incident or event.  

Our Resilience and Specialist Assets department is expert in planning for large-scale events and major incident responses, including leading our participation in multi-agency operations. 

We also have specialist teams, expert in caring for patients in dangerous situations – for example in water or at height – attending thousands of incidents each year. Read about our Hazardous Area Response Team and Tactical Operations Unit to learn more.  

Major incidents in London 

We have responded to many major incidents in London, the most notable being the bombings on 7 July 2005, the terrorist attacks in Westminster, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green in 2017, and the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017. Annually, we also respond to a range of Significant Incidents too.

Our responsibilities during major incidents 

  • saving lives, working closely with our partners;
  • putting hospitals in London on alert to receive patients;
  • setting up a system at the scene for prioritising and treating patients based on their medical needs;
  • treating, stabilising and caring for people who are injured; and
  • taking patients who need further treatment to hospital. 

We test our major incident plan on a regular basis, often alongside other agencies. 

Specialist responders training at a major incident training exercise.

Our training for major incidents 

Londoners need us to be prepared for all such eventualities and to be a global exemplar in terms on our response, learning and improving after each incident or event. 

We regularly take part in training exercises, often with our emergency service colleagues, to test our plans for handling a major incident. 

Some of these exercises are carried out as live exercises—where staff attend a set-up scene and deal with ‘real’ patients, played by volunteers 

Others take the form of tabletop exercises which test our staff in their strategic management of an incident. 

London Fire and London Ambulance specialist responders at a major incident training exercise at the O2 arena.

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Tactical Response Unit at a training session.

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A HART Paramedic at a training session.

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