Brian Robertson, OStJ, TD, MIEM
Chairman and Medical Director
Dr Brian Robertson is the Chairman and Medical Director of EM Training Services Ltd. He is also Owner and Director of sister organisation The Event Medicine Company Ltd. In addition he is Principal of BR Consultancy that provides consultancy services in relation to the planning for mass gathering, event medicine and major incident management. He retired from General Practice in Aldershot, Hampshire, in May 2001 having been in practice for some 22 years. He has wide experience of the pre-hospital emergency medical care field and was elected National Chairman of the British Association for Immediate Care, BASICS, in September 2000. In 1997 he was awarded the Haywood Medal by the British Association for Immediate Care for his contribution to pre-hospital care in the UK. In 2002 he was awarded the highly prestigious Asmund Laerdal Award for "outstanding services to immediate care".
He left the Regular Royal Army Medical Corps in 1979 and has served in Army Medical Service Territorial Army Specialist Units since. Between 1985 and 1994 served as Squadron Commander of the Ambulance Train Squadron RAMC(V), a Unit responsible for running British Army Ambulance Trains in Europe. Subsequently promoted to the rank of Colonel L/RAMC and appointed Commanding Officer, of 306 Field Hospital (V), a 200 bed TA Field Hospital an appointment held until December 1999. Continues to serve in the Army Medical Service TA Specialist Manpower Pool. Awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1989. Awarded the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal in 1996 with a first clasp in 2001.
In late 1992 he was admitted as an Officer Brother of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
He has a keen interest in the accident field and works closely with the emergency services in his local area with the voluntary Immediate Care Scheme he founded in 1979. He has a major interest in the medical aspects of Major Incident Planning. In addition to numerous major incident exercises practical experience has been gained by attendance at a number of large-scale incidents including the M4 (1986); the Hungerford Multiple Shooting (1987); the Clapham (1988), Purley (1989) and Ufton Nervet (2004) Railway Accidents and the loss of the Marchioness on the River Thames in 1989.
Lectures widely both nationally and internationally on pre-hospital care, mass gathering medicine, medical major incident management, and the potential use of rail in disasters and has written numerous papers on the subjects. Awarded a 1992 Churchill Travelling Fellowship to study aspects of major incident management in Europe and America. Has provided major incident management consultancy and training for several NHS Trusts.
He is Medical Director of Global Partnership (DVI) Ltd., a specialist Company providing international disaster victim identification and related services particularly to airlines, Police Forces and Local Authorities. He is also a member of the Board of the Football Licensing Authority.
He has been the Medical Director of the Farnborough International Air Show since 1996 and as such is responsible for all medical planning for this biennial event and integrates a number of different agencies into a comprehensive medical plan to cope with all aspects of mass gathering medicine and major incident response to such a high profile event.