Sussex firefighters test ‘major incident’ procedure at Goodwood …

Sussex firefighters were spotted at Goodwood House in Chichester[1] yesterday (April 26) as they took part in a "mock incident". Fire crews from Chichester, Bognor[2], Worthing[3] and Petworth[4] attended the practice incident to test their procedures in the event of a "major incident". An aerial ladder platform from Worthing was also used at the mock incident, which saw crews respond to a "stimulated fire in a tower filled with smoke".

The mock incident also had "one person unaccounted for". The test was part of a training exercise that aims to provide "valuable" experience for crews. The training test was a success, with mock practices like this enabling the fire service to pratice procedures.

Anton Mezzone, Station Manager at Chichester Fire Station, said: "As a service we carry out regular training exercises to practice our response to ensure we are prepared should a major incident occur. Goodwood House is a historic and popular attraction. "Being afforded the opportunity to train at such a prominent landmark and put our well-rehearsed plans for a large scale incident into action provides valuable real life experience for our crews.

We are very grateful to the team at Goodwood for allowing us onsite to carry out this mock incident today, which was a success.

"While saving lives is always our primary concern at an incident, being able to practice salvage techniques in a building like this is also hugely valuable to our crews to ensure that we protect our heritage."

References

1. ^ Chichester (www.sussexlive.co.uk)
2. ^ Bognor (www.sussexlive.co.uk)
3. ^ Worthing (www.sussexlive.co.uk)
4. ^ Petworth (www.sussexlive.co.uk)
5. ^ Person rescued from 'serious' basement flat fire that saw eight engines called to scene (www.sussexlive.co.uk)