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Live-action exercise tests Council’s emergency response to major incident

Live-action exercise tests Council’s emergency response to major incident

Mon, September 30, 2024

Roe Valley Leisure Centre has hosted a live-action exercise allowing multi-agency partners across the Borough to test their readiness in responding to a major incident.

Officers from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council joined with the staff from Derry and Strabane District Council and both Northern and Western Health Trusts to participate in the exercise, organised by the NI Civil Contingencies Emergency Preparedness Group.

In this training scenario, a housing development in Limavady was evacuated due to reports of fumes inside homes, with Roe Valley Leisure Centre being set up as an Emergency Rest Centre (ERC) to provide shelter for 30 ‘evacuees’. 

Students from North West Regional College participated in role-playing exercises as evacuees, portraying various scenarios that could occur at the ERC.

Anthony McCloskey, Council’s Emergency Planning Officer said: “These types of exercises provide an invaluable opportunity to test the response of various agencies in the event of a major incident, allowing partners to train together in a safe environment, identify any further training and resource needs, and ensure our joint plans are as effective as possible should a real-life incident occur.

“I would like to thank the various agencies for their participation, as well as those from the PSNI, NI Fire and Rescue Service and others who attended as observers.

“Working alongside the NI Emergency Preparedness Group and our other partners, Council will ensure any lessons learned from this rehearsal will now be carried forward into our response plans.”

Present at the live-action exercise in Roe Valley Leisure Centre are (L-R) Sean Doherty, Derry and Strabane District Council; Lee Verner, Principle Social Worker, Western Health and Social Care Trust; Sharon McAfee, Head of Health and Built Environment, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council; Anthony McCloskey, Emergency Planning Officer, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council; Jacqueline Doherty, Emergency Planning Manager, Western Health and Social Care Trust; Damian Gavin, Resilience Manager, Northern Emergency Preparedness Group; Claire Carleton, Resilience Manager, Belfast Emergency Preparedness Group; Ricky Dennison, Leisure Operations Manager, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, and John Gillespie, Western Health and Social Care Trust.