Major fire rescue training operation in Midlands

The exercise, which was hosted by Eurocell at one of their warehouses in Sutton-in-Ashfield, was a chance to test collaboration between Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) as crews worked together handling an incident with three casualties.

Staff from the warehouse, which is 180m x 130m x 12m in size, were evacuated prior to the start of the exercise, as they would be in a real fire, before the first fire engine from Ashfield attended the scene.

Brendan Woodhouse, Crew Manager at Ashfield Fire Station, who organised the exercise said: “The exercise has brought a lot of benefit to all the agencies involved.

“Not only was it a chance to test our own operational procedures but also our first aid knowledge and collaborative work, both with DFRS and EMAS.

“I would also like to thank Eurocell for accommodating us throughout the morning.”

Neal Chatwood, General Manager of the Eurocell warehouse in Sutton-in-Ashfield said: “Not only was this a great chance to assist the emergencies services with their training, it was also a chance for us to test our own evacuation procedures.

“It sends a message to our staff and shows them what would happen in a real incident – I think we’ve learned a lot from the experience.”