EVENTS
CELEBRATING EMERGENCY SERVICES DAY
Emergency Services Day falls on 9 September, and celebrates all those at the sharp end of every call made to 999: NHS workers, Ambulance, Coastguard and Life Boats, Fire and Rescue, and, of course, police officers. In total, almost 250,000 are first responders. At 9am on the 9th day of the 9th month a 2-minute silence is held by all those that recognise the event, in memory of those that have died in service. As with many remembrance events, during the 2 minutes it is encouraged not to type away at a keyboard, post on social media, or hold meetings in the workplace. The silence is traditionally broken by the Last Post, the National Anthem, or the ringing of a bell. The silence represents a moment
to pause and promote the work of the emergency services, promote 999 charities, and take a moment to help the public understand what responsible use of the emergency services looks like. The day also provides emergency workers with a chance to engage with the communities they serve. 999 Day is in its 6th year having been founded in 2017 by Tom Scholes-Fogg. The idea was first sparked in 2001 after the tragic death of a young PC, Alison Armitage, of Greater Manchester Police, who served under the stewardship of Tom’s grandfather, who was impacted by the young officer’s death. Following her murder, the officers at Oldham Police Station planted a tree in her memory. Tom’s grandfather showed him the tree, and they reflected on the terrible circumstances which led to Alison’s death at the age of just 29. His grandfather turned to him and said, “in this country we don’t look after our emergency services as much as we should.” It wasn’t just a tree that was planted that day. From that seed, Tom began to investigate how we as a nation celebrated those that had fallen during service. Despite the realisation that over the past 200 years we have lost over 7,500 emergency workers in the line of
26 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2023
duty, that’s 3 a month for 200 years, Tom was shocked to discover that the UK was almost unique in not formally recognising our fallen emergency service workers. Tom explains why he set up 999 Day:
“In this country we don’t look after our emergency services as much as we should.”
“We all take the emergency services for granted. Even as a police officer, I know that if I need help – whether it be on or off duty, that help will arrive. My aim when setting up 999 Day was to shine a light on the work being done by our 999 personnel – from first responders to the people behind the scenes. “I’m enormously grateful that in our first celebrated year we secured the support
of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and that support has continued over the years with The King and Queen and The Prince of Wales. Tom adds, “There are 10 times more people serving in the NHS and emergency services than in our entire armed forces, so having support at the highest levels from right across the country goes a long way. We still have so
much more to do to promote 999 Day and to promote the work colleagues do, but we’re getting there.” 999 Day is supported by the National
Police Chiefs’ Council, the National Fire Chiefs’ Council, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the NHS, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and all Search and Rescue organisations across the UK including Air Ambulances UK.
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