As the Coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world, FIRE Editor Andrew Lynch outlines the key elements required to transform our approach in his white paper, Coronavirus: A Five-Step Reset for Fire and Emergency Leaders.

‘We must prepare for this random disorder, accept our society has changed irreparably, but do all we can to mitigate the impact’. These are not the words of a minister advising the nation but, surprisingly, my own taken from the October 2001 issue of FIRE, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

In the current crisis – which is nothing short of a global calamity – focussing on short-term objectives is a live-saving priority. As we are becoming increasingly aware, it involves keeping the virus at bay so our NHS can cope; a strategy repeated across the world with equivalent health services, even as thousands die daily. But the medium and long-term consequences should be assessed simultaneously by political and public service leaders.