Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) took part in Exercise 'Double Trouble' today which simulated serious incidents at both Hull and Immingham docks.
Associated British Ports (ABP) carried out the two scenarios under the watchful eye of event co-ordinators HFR Solutions. In Hull a tanker leaked bromine shortly after entering Queen Elizabeth dock and engines and decontamination units were brought from stations across the city to stem the flow and evacuate casualties safely.
On the South bank of the estuary a fire broke out within a Bio-Mass silo at the Humberside International Terminal (HIT) in Immingham. Both exercises provided credible and realistic scenarios for both ABP and HFRS to test their joint working and emergency procedures.
Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director, was clear that the day had been a success:
"It's important that we test our emergency and business continuity planning to ensure it's as effective as possible in order to guarantee the safety of all port users. We've been working with HFR Solutions for a number of weeks to plan these scenarios and make sure they are as rigorous as possible while allowing the ports to remain open." 
Exercise lead John Armson of HFR Solutions stressed the importance of regular testing of procedures:
"It is absolutely crucial that all organisations, irrespective of size, have procedures in place to deal with emergency situations. We are hoping that these exercises give ABP and its partners the chance to really test their emergency response planning and see where improvements might be made in order to make the ports safer for everyone."