Mock plane crash exercise

RAF Syerston, near Newark, is facilitating this multi-agency live exercise in order to test its Crash and Disaster Plan, today (Friday).

Exercise Double Impact will involve over 100 firefighters and control room staff, 20 fire appliances from around the county, the RAF, East Midlands Ambulance Service - including its hazardous area response team - Notts Police and the Environment Agency.

Participants will deal with the ‘crashed’ aircraft, put out a major ‘fire’, rescue and treat dozens of trapped ‘casualties’, clean up ‘fuel’ and make the area ‘safe’.

The RAF will use a spotter plane to locate dispersed ‘casualties’ and Notts County Sailing Club will help run a water ‘rescue’.

Station manager Andy Lindley, one of the organisers, said: “We run smaller exercises to test different teams and skills quite frequently, but this is the biggest one we have carried out in at least 10 years. “

“It will test firefighters on the ground, staff in the control room, equipment, procedures and the way we work with other organisations.”

“ I hope we never have to attend a real incident like this but, because of such exercises, if we have to, we will be ready.”