“INST” Team Attends Blue Light Show 2025
The Dynamic Devices “INST” project team recently had the privilege of attending the Blue Light Show at Kensington Olympia, one of the UK’s premier exhibitions dedicated to the emergency services sector. This two-day event brings together professionals from police, fire, ambulance, and rescue services alongside suppliers and innovators working to support these vital public services.
Supporting Our INST Project Work
Our attendance at the Blue Light Show was driven by our commitment to understanding the real-world challenges faced by emergency services professionals. As part of the consortium developing the INST (Instantly Networked Smart Triage) project—an ESA-funded initiative detailed at business.esa.int/projects/inst—we recognise the critical importance of engaging directly with the emergency services community to ensure our technology solutions truly address their operational needs.
The INST project aims to revolutionise emergency response through innovative IoT devices that can be rapidly deployed on casualties during major incidents, providing real-time location and triage data to command centres via multi-bearer communications including satellite connectivity. This technology directly addresses challenges identified in major incident reviews, such as the Kerslake Report following the Manchester Arena bombing.
Learning from the Experts
Throughout the show, we felt extremely privileged to listen to those active in the emergency services world who are working tirelessly to make us all safer. The dedication, professionalism, and insight shared by these frontline heroes provided invaluable context for our development work.
We attended three particularly impressive presentations that directly informed our understanding of current challenges and future needs:Â
Using JESIP to put patients at the centre of the response
Was presented by an expert panel including Pete Wakefield (Founder & Presenter of Fire Fighters Podcast), Christian Cooper (National Head of Operations, NHS Emergency Capabilities Unit), Matt England (National Delivery Manager, JESIP), and Dr. Philip Cowburn, MBE (Medical Director, NHS Emergency Capabilities Unit). This session provided crucial insights into how the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) framework is being implemented to improve coordination between police, fire, and ambulance services during major incidents. The panel discussed best practices for multi-agency collaboration, lessons learned from real-world case studies, and strategies for effective decision-making under pressure. This session highlighted the ongoing need for better situational awareness and communication tools—precisely the gap our INST technology aims to fill.
Ten Second Triage Masterclass
Was delivered by Dr Philip Cowburn, MBE, Medical Director of the NHS Emergency Capabilities Unit (ECU), a leading figure in emergency medicine who was responsible for leading the NHSE Task & Finish subgroup that developed Ten-Second Triage (TST). Dr Cowburn’s presentation demonstrated the critical importance of rapid, accurate triage decisions in emergency situations, drawing on real-world scenarios including the Manchester Arena attack. He presented compelling evidence from field testing supported by NARU and UKHSA, showcasing TST’s advantages over legacy tools—from significantly faster decision-making to increased end-user satisfaction. The session reinforced our understanding of how every second counts in emergency response and how technology can support, rather than complicate, these life-saving decisions.
A Powerful Message on Counter-Terrorism Preparedness
We were particularly moved by the presentation on Martyn’s Law delivered by Figen Murray, OBE (Founder of Martyns Law) and Nick Aldworth (Author of Martyns Law Proposal). This session explored how this legislation—named after Figen’s son Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed in the Manchester Arena bombing—is now shaping the future of counter-terrorism strategies, policing practices, cross-service collaboration, and local authority emergency planning.
The personal testimony and professional expertise shared during this session was profoundly affecting. It reinforced our understanding of why the INST project matters so much—not just as a technical challenge, but as a contribution to protecting innocent lives and supporting the brave men and women who respond when disasters strike.
Figen Murray, OBE’s courage in channelling her grief into positive action to improve public safety, combined with Nick Aldworth’s deep expertise in counter-terrorism policing and his authorship of the Martyn’s Law proposal, provided a powerful reminder of the human cost of inadequate emergency preparedness and the vital importance of the work we’re undertaking.
Moving Forward
The insights gained from our time at the Blue Light Show have been invaluable. We’ve learnt a great deal that we will build into our ongoing work on the INST project. From understanding the practical challenges of implementing new technologies in high-pressure emergency situations to appreciating the crucial importance of interoperability between different emergency services, these learnings will directly influence our design decisions and development priorities.
The emergency services professionals we met at the show have reinforced our commitment to developing technology solutions that truly serve those who serve us all. Their feedback, challenges, and encouragement will continue to guide our work as we progress through the INST project development phases.
We return to our development work with renewed purpose, knowing that the solutions we’re creating could one day help save lives and support the heroic work of our emergency services.
Dynamic Devices provides embedded integration services, specialising in the development, testing, and deployment of software on embedded systems. We are experts in developing innovative IoT products and exploring space asset applications. For more information about our work on the INST project or our other services, please visit www.dynamicdevices.co.uk.