Jennifer Cole

Position: Head of Emergency Management

Jennifer Cole is Head of Emergency Management at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), working within the National Security and Resilience Department. Since joining RUSI in January 2007, Jennifer's research interests have focused on the UK's emergency preparedness and response capabilities, particularly in regard to surge capacity and multiagency working during major emergencies.

Jennifer is the project head for RUSI's annual workshops on Command and Control and Emergency Response, and for the Duke of Gloucester Lecture Series on Flood Risk and the Built Environment.

Particular interests and areas of expertise include flood response, CBRN(E), cyber security, resilient communications and the role of the media in emergencies. She has appeared as a national security expert on Sky News, Channel 4 and BFBS Television and has written for external publications including The Guardian, MoD Contracts Bulletin, Fire Times, the BAPCO Journal and Contingency Today. She has presented at conferences across the UK and in Israel on topics ranging from interoperability to UK Medical Responses to Terrorism.

Jennifer represents RUSI on the Inter Institutional Flood Risk Management Group, which raises awareness of the impact of flooding on the built environment, and the Enterprise Privacy Group, which advises Government on identity and privacy issues. She has operational experience in responding to the 7 July 2005 bombings on the London transport system, and is a trained first aid instructor with both civilian and military qualifications.

RUSI articles and analysis by this author

Emergency service interoperability in jeopardy due to lack of standardised operational procedures 6 Jul 2010
Coordinated emergency responses within and between the fire, ambulance and police service is hampered by the lack of standardised operational procedures, rather than technology according to a new report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Securing our Future: Resilience in the Twenty-First Century 30 Apr 2010
The new security environment goes beyond terrorism, requiring a modern conception and application of resilience. Jennifer Cole explores the UK's preparedness for civil emergencies

Communications Interoperability in a Crisis 2: Human Factors and Organisational Processes 15 Jan 2010
This interim research investigates attitudes towards joint working between the emergency services and the other organisations and agencies involved in the response to major emergencies.

Comment 13 Aug 2009
The outbreak of swine flu forces us to reflect upon the way the UK deals with pandemic threats. Analysing the challenges faced in recent months, governments must learn from this experience to strengthen emergency preparedness.

Time to reflect: what we are learning from pandemic flu 20 Jul 2009
With numbers of cases of swine flu expected to reach into the thousands in the coming months, the UK Government will be tested on their preparedness and implementation of planning for this eventuality.

The best laid plans: assessing the impact of pandemic flu 7 Jul 2009
The Department of Health has now moved into the treatment stage of its pandemic flu response. What does this mean for the UK and what lessons have been identified during the containment phase?

Facing the flu pandemic 12 Jun 2009
Swine flu is now officially a global pandemic. Over the next few months, the plans and procedures the UK has developed to deal with this contingency will be put to the test.

Pandemic Flu: Here at Last? 27 Apr 2009
As swine flu spreads towards the UK, health services and emergency planners around the country will be waiting to see if this becomes the global influenza pandemic the world has feared.

The Pitt Review: The Government Responds 18 Dec 2008
This summer's Pitt Review, and the Government's response, should ensure that the Civil Contingencies Act Enhancement Programme is based on bitter experience and not just the best considered planning assumptions.

Hurricane Gustav - Testing the Lessons Learned from Katrina 3 Sep 2008
The mass evacuation of New Orleans in days preceding Hurricane Gustav tested the lessons learned after Katrina. However, the response to Gustav should, in time, be incorporated into the corporate memory of emergency responders everywhere.

Learning lessons from the 2007 floods: the final recommendations of the Pitt Review 17 Jul 2008
After ten months, an interim report, and additional flood reviews from government and the insurance industry, the Pitt Review has reached its final conclusions.

TE-SAT 2008: Trends in European terrorism 10 Jul 2008
Jennifer Cole analyses the information from the 2008 European Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) and its importance to UK security and resilience.

When security begins far from home… 19 Mar 2008
The National Security Strategy is the first step in opening a dialogue between the UK Government, its international security partners and the public. It forms a framework into which all subsequent strategy and policy must fit.

Securing the UK Borders 16 Nov 2007
The speech made by Gordon Brown on 14 November, in advance of the National Security Strategy which will be published in the next few weeks, sets out a strategy for preventing future terrorist attacks on the UK. Much of the new content of Brown’s speech pertained to Lord West’s review of physical security measures within the UK. These included the introduction of barriers to keep potential vehicle borne bombs away from key areas and designing bomb-resistant features into new buildings.

The need for a UK Civil Defence Force? 30 Jul 2007

Situation Critical? 4 Jul 2007
As of Wednesday, 4 July, the current threat level in the UK remains at Critical, having been raised to this, the highest of five possible levels, on Saturday 30 June following failed car bomb attacks on Central London and Glasgow Airport.

Keeping A Clear Head As Bird Flu Hits Wales 25 May 2007
Open reporting combined with clear and honest information is the best defence against potential media scare-mongering and public panic.

Operation Crevice Trial Ends 2 May 2007
It is easy to point fingers at the security services and ask how they missed Khan and Tanweer. It is less simple to determine how on earth the security services could have joined the dots without the benefit of hindsight.

Testing the UK's response to a global flu outbreak 19 Mar 2007
The recent outbreak of H5N1 at a poultry farm in Suffolk has highlighted the need for UK agencies to be prepared for a worldwide flu pandemic. Jennifer Cole talks to Ben Sheppard about the lessons learned from a major simulation exercise that took place in mid-2006.

Changing the face of counter-terrorism 1 Mar 2007
Nick Clegg's proposals to improve the UK criminal justice system's approach to tackling terrorism.

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Jennifer Cole

RUSI articles and analysis by this author