Major incident replicated in training exercise

Our firefighters took part in a simulated fire exercise in Stafford last week.

Ten appliances were called to Tipping Street at around 9am on Tuesday 30 September to practice rescuing a team of actors and volunteers from a tall building.

In the exercise, which aimed to replicate a major incident, crews received a report of a fire inside a flat on the second floor of the six-storey building.

Crews worked quickly to first identify any hazards, which included falling debris, slips and falls.

The actors and volunteers were evacuated from the building whilst crews used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to extinguish the fire.

A ventilation process was then carried out, allowing the ‘residents’ to return to their flats as soon as possible.

Delivery Group Manager, Dave Steele, said: “This exercise was extremely beneficial in allowing our firefighters to put their skills into practice and identify any key areas of improvement, should they be needed in a serious real-life situation.

“I would like to thank local residents, shoppers, and workers for their patience whilst fire crews were at the scene.

"It's vital that we continue to utilise real-life locations across Staffordshire during our training in order to give our firefighters the most realistic and effective methods of training for major incidents, which in turns helps us keep our communities as safe as possible."