Without warning the lives of innocent, ordinary families have been devastated. The legacy of the Boston Marathon bombings feels particularly cruel and unnecessary, with three killed and many of the 180 injured or maimed being avid sportsmen and women. In the recent Texas fertiliser plant explosion, 15 were killed and more than 160 people were injured. The two are linked only by the random and unexpected nature of the way in which the victims are claimed.

Questions will again be asked about what can be done to safeguard the innocent either from accident or terrorism. Equally, yet again we are thankful for the meticulous training and professionalism of the emergency services. Despite the lack of warning, these brave teams arrived within moments, delivering aid to the victims and some semblance of order to the carnage.

As footage of ‘the aftermath’ unfurls in real-time across television and internet channels, reporters and presenters across the globe grapple to deliver the facts. Media spokespeople for event organisers, plant owners, police and other emergency services, step forward to deliver key messages, sourcing information directly from their teams on the ground in well-honed procedures. They are every bit as prepared to handle their role as the medics, the ambulance crews and the surgeons. They expect the unexpected and they plan for it. Is your communications team trained and ready to react?