Crews from Scunthorpe attended an exercise at Keadby Power Station on the bank of the River Trent today.
Exercise Honahlee was carried out at SSE's Keadby Power Station and allowed emergency crews to work with on-site safety personnel to respond to a credible scenario at the large site west of Scunthorpe.
An on-site alarm was raised at 10.41 to begin the exercise and control room staff dialled 999 to request assistance as the 'casualty' was trapped in a confined space under girders and rubble. The emergency response plan was put into place immediately after the collapse was reported and fire crews from Scunthorpe soon arrived to carry out the response and recover the 'casualty' using air bags, spinal board and winches.
Station Managers Tyson Truelove and Phil Duckles oversaw the incident and the complex rescue of the contractor who had suffered serious leg injuries and was struggling to breathe.
SSE staff took the opportunity to simulate the communication arrangements following an emergency and other on site procedures.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service exercise co-ordinator Tim Theaker was really pleased with how the rescue went:
"It's important for us to train in realistic scenarios and to spend the morning with SSE staff at Keadby was beneficial to all involved. It allows us to get a feel for their on-site procedures, get them familiar with how we work and see the layout of the plant for real rather than just on a plan.
We have recently taken delivery of a new Rescue Support Unit and it was important to for the crews to use the updated vehicle and impressive new kit in a realistic setting. The learnings from the morning are always shared in debriefs with the SSE incident team and the site management to ensure that we are best prepared should we ever come back onto site for real."