Hosted by Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue’s National Resilience team ‘Rolling Thunder’ also put Devon & Cornwall Police Disaster Victim Identification, HART, the Royal Air Force and Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service local crews through their paces.
The incidents involved Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), High Volume Pump, Enhanced Logistics Support and Mass Decontamination, Detection identification and Monitoring teams.
A strategic holding area was established at Exeter Services to manage resources, which were assumed to be stretched. A ‘major incident’ was declared.
All teams underwent five exercises, which were repeated every day for three days and included:
1. A simulated plane crash at Exeter airport involving a contaminant. Forty local students from Bicton College aboard the plane were taken to a safe place before going through mass decontamination units. DVI and HART were on site and USAR also dealt with an ensuing building collapse.
2. Nearby a large wildfire at Woodbury Common required the sourcing of water from a Victorian, underground water tank via a high volume pump in conjunction with HVP tactical advisors, who planned the deployment and make up.
3. At Devon & Somerset HQ on the outskirts of Exeter (the home station for DSFRS USAR team) the third scenario involving a collapsed building containing live, trapped casualties. Working in confined spaces with hot metal and concrete-cutting skills and shoring USAR teams planned and rescued causalities (Amputees in Action and Casualty Union) USAR teams planned and rescued the causalities.
The local fire incident commander was assisted by USAR tactical advisors from around the UK. The RAF Chivenor helicopter conducted a pick-off rescue from the training tower on the second day, before landing to relocate the Technical Search Rescue Team to North Tawton.
4. North Tawton staged a Technical Search and Rescue involving planning shoring.
5. A white powder contamination incident at Bridgwater college involving 60 casualties with Mass decontamination and Detection Identification and monitoring team from Avon and South Wales
“This is a multi-agency exercise as no major incident would ever occur that wasn’t a multi-agency incident,” says Paul Cross, Deputy Group Commander. “When we work well together the outcome is always more favourable for all concerned.
“It’s about building relationships, as we don’t want to be meeting people for the first time at a major incident. These exercises give us the opportunity to look at each other’s capabilities and limitations, then work together to ensure we achieve the best outcomes for the people who are in trouble on that day. Also how we can create a safer platform for ourselves.”
Jon Worsley, National Resilience manager and organiser of Rolling Thunder, says: “For me Rolling Thunder has gone absolutely brilliantly. All the crews that have attended have achieved their objectives which were to ensure they recused the casualties’, save life and reduce suffering.
“I feel Rolling Thunder is a success due to the fact that we have run five major exercises simultaneously with 20 Fire Services that have never met before, for that to work and for everyone to achieve their objectives is outstanding. All of the agencies involved have worked together using the JESIP principle, which is one of the objectives we set ourselves.
“My thanks to the Devon and Somerset National Resilience crews including Terry Hutchings and Rowan Delasalle, they have all worked really hard, to make this scenario happen, from the preplanning stage to the smooth running over the three days. Thanks to all the support services as well, we could not have done it without them.
“What is invaluable and not quantifiable is turning up at an incident knowing someone’s face, it makes managing such an incident so much easier and that’s really positive. These exercises provide very practical opportunities for everyone to practise their skills and of course we are continually striving to improve.”
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
