Revisiting FIRE’s appeal for a Charter for Resilience, Editor Andrew Lynch outlines the principles and structure required to deliver a new architecture for society.

Could the pandemic be the first step to resetting how functions?’ was the standout question from FIRE’s white paper, Coronavirus: A Five-Step Reset for Fire and Emergency Leaders[1]; in turn forming the springboard for a Charter for Resilience developed with Security Correspondent Dr Dave Sloggett.

It is clear that there is not an innate resilient mindset engrained in the general population; the polarised debate around restrictions and liberty still dominates discussion in Whitehall in those who are supposed to lead and know better. It is hardly surprising given the short-term memory problems displayed by many in prominent positions. The balance clearly needs to swing towards personal then organisational resilience, and it needs shifting apace, lest the next fuel crisis or national emergency shifts the tectonic plates of resistance more substantively. Coronavirus 2.0.