Pendle carries out Emergency Planning Exercise

Local residents, Pendle Council and Lancashire County Council's Emergency Planning staff teamed up recently to take part in simulated emergency evacuation exercise.

The aim was to test out our emergency response to an evacuation and to bring the Faith Communities into Emergency Planning within Pendle.

Pendle Council's Emergency Planning Chief, Ian McInery explained:

"A whole range of voluntary agencies took part in this exercise - called Operation Marsden - hosted at Marsden Old Hall, Nelson.

"The exercise was designed to test out the plans and organisations who would be called upon in the event of an actual emergency in Pendle.

Agencies such as the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, British Red Cross, Faith Support, Raynet , St John Ambulance and Building Bridges as well as the Emergency Response Group and the Emergency Planning Staff from Lancashire County Council supported the event.

Local residents and Council staff played the part of people evacuated from their homes due to a fictitious scenario of an oil tanker crashing into a block of terraced house.

During the fictitious event the tanker subsequently caught fire and exploded causing severe structural damage to a number of homes.

Pendle Council's Health and Safety Officer Terri Cox, who planned the event with the Emergency Planning staff from Lancashire County Council said:

"We practiced running a rest centre in the event of a civil emergency to test out how well we responded and worked together with the other agencies that would be involved.

"We covered lots of aspects." She explained. 

"These included having a doctor to deal with health issues that can arise when people are evacuated without their medication, to a Dog Welfare Officer who took care of two evacuated spaniels!"

"Professionals were on hand to help residents cope with stress and anxiety and with the practical need to re-house people overnight."

"The Lancashire County Council Emergency Response van was on site with everything from blankets and flasks to games to keep the evacuated children happy"

"The exercise was well attended, and enjoyed by all who took part.  It was a great way for those involved to learn more about what would happen in such an incident".

Bernard Kershaw, Lancashire County Council Emergency Planning Officer who umpired the event with Pendle Council said:

"We were delighted with the number of local people who turned out to help test out our plans and responses.

"All the agencies played their part very professionally to ensure the wellbeing and safety of people evacuated from their homes.

"We've been involved in real emergencies, such as the cockle pickers tragedy at Morecambe Bay and a number of major fires within the Blackpool area and more recently the fire at Primet Bridge in Colne.

"So we know how vital it is to have robust plans in place and to test out the different teams who can work together at a time of crisis."

Cllr John David said: "Test exercises like this are essential and show that we have good people and plans in place in Pendle, in case of an emergency.

"It turns out this was very timely as there had to be an evacuation of homes yesterday in Nelson.

"This was due to a petrol leak from a filling station and everything went very smoothly," he explained.