Mystery emergency puts fire crews to test

FIREFIGHTERS were put to the test as they tackled a major mystery emergency as part of a huge training exercise.

The fictional scenario revolved around a plane crash and played out at the service’s training centre in Bury.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) spent months planning the exercise and constructing the crash scene.

It was planned well before the Manchester Arena attack on May 22.

The scenario was described as an ‘urban search and rescue’ operation with a number of casualties trapped beneath a collapsed building.

Access to the demolished structure was obstructed by crashed cars and fallen lamp posts.

Scores of actors and volunteers were involved in the exercise.

Billy Myers, head of planning and resilience at GMFRS, said firefighters were tackling an ‘earthquake-style’ disaster.

“The purpose was to test our new Bury training site and its facilities,” he said.

“The scenario was that an aircraft came down, hit a building and then hit another building, which is effectively a supermarket.

“The supermarket has collapsed and there are lots of people trapped underneath. The aircraft has then spun off into the distance.

“The main focus of the exercise, apart from dealing with peripheral road traffic collisions around it, was to test our urban search and rescue capabilities.”

A specially-trained search dog, Ace, was also put to the test as handlers ●●Firefighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service taking part in a major incident, search and rescue exercise at the new state of the art training facility searched for dummies and actors trapped beneath the wreckage.

Firefighters were also challenged by actors posing as members of the public filming on mobile phones or demanding their attention.

Dean Nankivell, group manager of resilience, said the type of training is vital for firefighters given recent major incidents in Manchester and London.

He said: “We’re living in a changing world, the environment has changed and the types of incidents we attend have changed too.

“People historically call us the fire brigade, but we’re now the fire and rescue service.”