David Wales

… who pioneered in the Fire and Rescue Service, latterly as its first ever Customer Experience Manager. The journey started with a research project looking at ‘why the public don’t do as they’re told’ in a fire-related emergency. The results showed how disconnected the Fire Service was from the experience of the people it served. Far from needing to educate the public to change, its main finding was that the Service needed to reflect on its own purpose beyond compliance and statutory requirements. It thought in a scientific and technical way, but people respond to an emergency in strongly emotional ways which reflect the huge personal impact of their experience. David learned from CX professionals and developed a more human and consequence-focused approach. Traditionally, UK firefighters have focussed on rescuing people and saving property with limited attention given to the longer term impact of their interventions. This is further compounded by the fragmented and complex nature of the various services involved in the end to end journey.

Using human centred design principles, David could see new opportunities to improve. For example, treating burns injuries effectively was not originally part of what firefighters prioritised – they were there to rescue people and save property. But burns need particular treatment, and applying cool water, fast, is the first step. However, in practice it rarely happened as each agency sought to quickly convey the survivor through the chain of care. Despite this, survivors typically arrive at a specialist burns facility long after the window of opportunity for the benefits of early cooling has passed. David also recognised the mental effects of trauma and the need to help people deal constructively with what happened to them. This whole joined-up, human approach was new, but results are encouraging. There is much more to do, and David continues to pioneer in the international emergency and disaster sector.