Four Public Safety professionals have won a year-long bursary to support their ‘critical communications for public safety’ careers, the wider community, and people within the UK and Ireland.
The British APCO Ian Thompson Critical Communications Bursary was established by the charity four years’ ago. British APCO, founded in 1993, exists to improve emergency services communications and technology for everyone’s benefit.
British APCO Trustee, Becca Jones, commented:
“Our late Chief Executive, Ian Thompson’s advocacy for education and developing new and upcoming talent, was the inspiration for the bursary. Every year it gets harder to select a winner, which is how we ended up with four. The passion and technical knowledge, and its application displayed by each submission was outstanding; we all look forward to supporting each winner with their bursary.”
The winners were presented their awards by Ian Thompson’s wife, Amanda, at the British APCO Dinner held in Coventry on Wednesday 25th March; the dinner is part of the 33rd British APCO Annual Conference and Exhibition.
The winners are:
- Louis Fraser-Wilson, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Performance Manager for Call Handling
A former volunteer Emergency Ambulance Crew with St John Ambulance, during the pandemic Louis volunteered in hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients. The experience pushed him to change careers from the live events industry to the Ambulance Service, leading him to the Emergency Operations Centre.
Starting as a Call Handler, Louis’ genuine passion for his work saw him move quickly into the role of Performance Manager. He identified that there was a steady increase in the number of international emergency calls – instances where a caller in the UK needs to request help for a casualty in another country, which were either significantly delayed, or were unable to be passed abroad. His project has seen him liaise with and learn from other countries all over the world to ensure they have each other’s details.
Louis says, “Being able to rapidly pass details of an emergency from one country to another can be the difference between life and death. This bursary will help me to learn about the diverse emergency services models beyond Europe and work towards forming a stronger network of control rooms worldwide.”
- Aoiffe Boyle, Graduate Cyber Security Engineer, Leonardo UK
Aoiffe attended British APCO’s Autumn Conference as soon as she joined the graduate scheme at Leonardo UK, which is how she became aware of the bursary. Her first task has been to join the Dispatcher Project. Dispatcher is a mission critical communications system designed to support emergency services during the transition from TETRA to ESN. She had never thought about the impact technology has within the emergency services because ‘it just seems to work’.
Aoiffe says,
“Since coming to Leonardo and immersing myself in the emergency services sector, it has become a passion. I am energised by how I can use my cyber skills in a way which can help saves the lives. Working on a programme of such national importance has strengthened my interest in public safety communications and the essential role technology plays in protecting the public.”
Aoiffe is thrilled to have won a bursary because it will help her research, which will highlight the importance of designing future systems with cyber security as an integral part.
- Cara Greene, UX Researcher and Designer, Inclutech
Cara came into the public safety sector through her background in UX design and Accessibility. Her experience has led her to specialise in user-centred design to ensure digital systems work better for people in real situations.
Cara commented,
“In UX we often talk about usability and accessibility, but in public safety those concepts become even more critical — if a system is confusing, slow, or inaccessible, it can directly affect someone’s ability to respond to an emergency. I’ve also been influenced by mentors and educators who emphasise designing with users rather than just for them.”
Cara is delighted to accept the bursary as it will deepen her understanding of the wider public safety communications ecosystem and how human-centred design can strengthen trust, collaboration, and engagement across the sector. She also looks forward to learning from British APCO board members and international peers.
- Susan Whyte, Emergency Management Manager, studying a PhD centring on the intersection of technology and emergency management
Sue was already working in public safety/ emergency management when she recognised the importance of consolidating her training and education by pursuing a Master of Science in Emergency Management and Resilience Degree; this is where she discovered a profound interest in the application of technology in emergency management.
Now embarking on her PhD, Sue is eager to engage with and learn from the British APCO community who share her passion for public safety and technology.
Sue said, “Ultimately, my goal is to contribute valuable insights that can improve emergency management practices and foster greater resilience in communities facing crises. Receiving this bursary will enable me to access essential resources, attend relevant conferences, and collaborate with experts in the field, thereby enhancing the quality and impact of my research.”
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