Command, Control and Communications (C3) 

As a leading voluntary sector partner, we work at local, regional and national levels to strengthen emergency preparedness, response and recovery. 

Aligned with the UK Government Resilience Framework, and informed by extensive UK and international experience, we mobilise communities, volunteers and partners to deliver a whole-of-society approach to crisis response. By combining people, skills and technology, we help ensure communities are better prepared for and supported through emergencies. 

Who we work with 

We partner with a wide range of organisations, including over 100 different charities, across the emergency response landscape. This includes: 

• local authorities
• emergency services 
• voluntary and community sector partners – like Raynet-UK, and search and rescue charities 

These partnerships enable effective multi-agency coordination and communication during incidents and major events. 

Our C3 service 

The British Red Cross C3 service delivers deployable command, control and communications capability anywhere in the UK. 

Our solutions include: 

• C3 vehicles (mobile command units) 
• ‘control room in a box’ systems 
• satellite-enabled communications networks 

This provides resilient telephony, radio communications and real-time data sharing, ensuring teams can operate effectively – even in remote locations or where infrastructure has failed. 

What we do 

Our nationally deployable C3 capability supports: 

• emergency response and crisis situations 
• planned events and large-scale operations 
• surge support when local capacity is stretched 

Our specialist teams deliver: 

• resilient voice, data and radio communications
• mobile command and coordination centres
• enhanced situational awareness for multi-agency response
• continuity when fixed or mobile networks are unavailable 

This ensures responders remain connected, informed and operational, even in the most challenging environments. 

C3 in action 

National event – Queen lying in state 

As part of the official memorial activities for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's funeral, in London, British Red Cross C3 vehicles acted as the central command and communications hub for Red Cross staff and volunteers. 

“This was the first event I’ve been at with a comms vehicle. It was great having all communications managed centrally – it reduced pressure on me and improved coordination.” 
Volunteer Operational Team Leader 

Storm response – Scotland 

Following severe storms in Scotland, widespread infrastructure damage caused loss of telecommunications and access routes, exceeding local resilience fora capacity. 

A British Red Cross C3 unit provided critical resilient communications, enabling responders to coordinate effectively and support affected communities despite network outages. 

Supporting major events – Orkney Island Games 2025 

C3 teams were deployed to support the Orkney Local Emergency Coordinating Group during the Island Games 2025. 

This deployment strengthened local resilience, communications capacity and multi-agency coordination, helping ensure a safe and successful event. 

How to activate C3

To activate the C3 capability, partners should contact the British Red Cross Crisis Hub on 0300 023 0700. 

This is a UK-wide, 24-hour incident management line, open every day of the year. Callers should state that they want to engage the British Red Cross command, control and communications capability. 

The crisis hub will escalate the request to the crisis response team duty manager. That person will verify the situation, confirm the C3 requirements, and initiate coordination through the appropriate internal channels.