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[Bob Hatcher]

John, it apears to me that you may not be fully aware of just how long Wessex 4x4 Response, and other teams' have existed or the relationships that have been developed over many years. I am aware that you live near Swindon so to give you some idea of the what the organisation has in place.



We have extremely good working relationships with Great Western Ambulance service in Avon and Wiltshire, Wiltshire & Swindon Emergncy Planning, and Wiltshire fire service. Outside of Wiltshire we (Wessex) have similar relationships in Avon & Somerset and Dorset LRF areas, especially with the Council Civil Contingency Units and Police Ops Planning departments.



These relationships have been forged on call-outs exercises and meetings over the years and extend up through the Government Office South West to the Cabinet Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government.



I am sure that if at anytime they had any doubt as to our abilities they would have stopped talking to us many years ago.





John it appears that you may have posted the above whilst I was writing this which may change the context.



As you rightly say all teams were untried once but in most cases they developed the relationship with the user body by exercising and 'pressing the flesh' before being called. It is a fact of life that good relationships are probably more important than anything else in this "game". It should also be borne in mind that many of us have transferrable skills from other jobs i.e. the Buelight services or the armed forces.