This evening at 18.30hrs Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service hosted the quarterly liaison meeting of the GMESLG, taking advantage of the fact that the quarterly GMFRS / MRT liaison meeting was also being held the same evening, at the excellent venue of the GMFRS HQ at Swinton, Manchester.

Both the GMFRS and GMESLG meetings serve as a conduit for MRTs operating in Greater Manchester to liaise and discuss operational matters and training issues, including multi agency workings with GMFRS, Greater Manchester Police and the North West Ambulance Service (Greater Manchester Area)

Representatives were present this evening from GMFRS Operational Support / Emergency Response Directorate, NWAS HART, GMP Search Unit, Bolton MRT, Glossop MRT, Kinder MRT, Oldham MRT and Rossendale and Pendle MRT. (Generally it is the Team Leaders / Deputy Leaders / Call Out co-ordinators who attend from each MRT)
During the Greater Manchester Emergency Services Liaison Group part of the meeting, a presentation took place on the wide role of the GMP Force Hostage Negotiator Team.

This arose as a request for such a presentation to the GMESLG meeting after our involvement in our Incident 62-2010 on Thursday 27th May 2010, when we were called to Wilton Number 1 Quarry, where the team worked alongside Officers from the GMP Force Hostage Negotiator Team regarding a man at the top of the quarry, with GMP very concerned for his safety and well being. (See website ’news’ item dated the same)

Chief Inspector Donna Allen of the GMP Force Hostage Negotiator Team delivered an excellent presentation to those present, on the work she carries out as a member of the GMP FHNT, having served as a Negotiator and Negotiator Co-Ordinator for seven years.

Her presentation covered the many aspects of the team, including deployments (From Suicide Intervention, to Siege, ’Crimes in action / kidnaps, to Domestic and International Terrorism), skills and abilities, selection and training, and how negotiations are carried out.

All present from all the various Emergency Services at the meeting found a great many aspects of her presentation relevant to the taskings we are all involved in, in the case of the MRTs present, this being certain ’Missing from Home’ search operations and dealing with persons with perhaps suicidal intent.

It is hoped that Chief Inspector Donna Allen will be able to deliver this same excellent presentation to the wider Bolton MRT membership at some point in the future.

The meeting concluded at 21.30hrs, with thanks to Jim Hutton of GMFRS Operational Support for his usual hospitality.