Wirral Community First Responders at The Emergency Services Show 2025
- Josh Bailey
- Sep 21
- 2 min read
On Thursday 18 September 2025, some of our team travelled down to the NEC in Birmingham to attend The Emergency Services Show. It was a fantastic day full of learning, inspiration and the chance to connect with others who, like us, dedicate their time to keeping communities safe.
What the Show Is About
The Emergency Services Show is the UK’s biggest event for the blue light community. Over two days, it brings together more than 500 exhibitors, live demonstrations, workshops, and thousands of professionals and volunteers from across the country. From the latest equipment to wellbeing support and training ideas, there was so much to take in.
Why We Went
For us, the day wasn’t just about exploring new kit (though we loved that too!). It was about:
Learning best practice from other CFR schemes, ambulance services and emergency organisations.
Exploring innovation – from new medical equipment to better communication tools.
Networking with fellow responders and services, sharing ideas and experiences.
Celebrating volunteers – seeing “unsung heroes” like CFRs recognised on a national stage was inspiring.
Highlights of the Day
Unsung Heroes Focus: The final day of the show included a celebration of those who go above and beyond in their communities. As CFRs, this really resonated with us and reminded us why we do what we do. This included two of our team being nominated. Josh Reinke (Fundraising Manager) and Josh Bailey (Chairman).
Technology Demos: We got hands-on with new first aid equipment, PPE and communication systems – all of which could help us save lives more effectively.
Workshops on People & Skills: Sessions on mental health, resilience, and leadership gave us fresh ideas for supporting our own team here in Wirral.
Meeting Others: Talking to other CFR groups was invaluable – we compared notes on challenges like funding, recruitment and training, and picked up some great ideas to bring home.
Bringing It Back to Wirral
We came away buzzing with ideas and inspiration. Some things we’ll be looking at include:
Reviewing our kit and exploring possible upgrades.
Putting a stronger focus on volunteer wellbeing and resilience.
Looking at ways to engage more with our local community, especially around CPR and first aid awareness.
Building stronger links with other CFR groups for shared training and support.
Final Thoughts
Attending ESS 2025 was a brilliant opportunity for us as a team. It reminded us that although we may be volunteers working in our own communities, we’re also part of a much bigger emergency services family.
We’d like to thank everyone who stopped to chat with us at the show, and we’re excited to put what we’ve learned into practice back here on the Wirral.
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