Gorge exercise
Lessons learned
Craighall Gorge on the outskirts of Blairgowrie was the location for a multi-agency training exercise for members of the emergency services recently.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews from Blairgowrie, the Perth-based swift water rescue advanced technicians and Police Scotland’s mountain rescue team were all involved.
The mocked-up scenario involved the rescue of a canyoner, played by volunteer Andy Blair from The Canyoning Company.
Paul Smith is the crew manager at Blairgowrie Fire Station.
He said: “This was a large multi-agency exercise, one of the biggest undertaken in Blairgowrie, with around 30 personnel involved, and is part of our commitment to the development of our firefighters and firefighter safety.
“By training in these environments it helps local crews understand and train for the immediate risks in our area.
“This event also provided an opportunity to work with other agencies in a real-time, unique and dynamic environment which is invaluable when it comes to real-life incidents as we know each other and how each other works.
“We chose to carry out this simulated situation in that location because it is within a risk area, somewhere that we could be asked to attend a real-life incident.
“Craighall Gorge is one of the deepest in the UK and it’s not always an easy environment to work in.
“With the rivers Tay, Ericht and Isla, and all the lochs, Perthshire has the biggest volume of water in Britain for the size of the region.
“The number of water-related incidents that require a specialist response are increasing.”
The original idea for the session came from a conversation Craig Jack from Perth Fire Station had with Andy Blair during the winter.
Paul added: “We have planning for this exercise for a couple of months, visiting the site, speaking to local landowners, gathering local knowledge and getting together with the different agencies involved.
“Two station managers also attended