Powis Castle 999 exercise declared a success
Dozens of firefighters raced to tackle a major incident at a historic castle. But there was no reason to panic, as Powis Castle, in Welshpool, was being used as the centre of a major training exercise for fire crews from Shropshire and Mid Wales.
Almost 60 firefighters and nine appliances drew water supplies from two ponds and the Montgomery Canal as part of the training exercise.
Perched high on a rock above the world-famous garden terraces, Powis Castle, built circa 1200, began life as the medieval fortress of the Welsh Princes of Powys, who held onto their kingdom that had included the counties of Montgomeryshire, much of Denbighshire, parts of Radnorshire and previously large areas of Shropshire.
Today, the medieval castle contains some of the world's greatest collections of art and historical items, including the earliest known surviving set of the 12 Caesars in Great Britain made of Carrara marble and jasper, A View of Verona, a masterpiece by Bernardo Bellotto, which was reportedly bought by Clive of India, and The Tipus Tiger Head, a solid gold, Indian finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan, decorated with diamonds, emeralds and rubies.
Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service launched its Exercise Defender on Sunday in a large-scale effort to make sure it would be fully prepared to tackle any potential blaze at the treasure trove.
Robert Rayner, operations response manager for north Powys, said: "Powis Castle has a huge heritage value and generates a lot of money for the local economy, so the property is one of our main priorities in the region.
"This exercise updated our salvage operation plans and involved 57 firefighters from Newtown and Craven Arms, and a ladder from Aberystwyth with a 100-foot reach, so all the high turrets and towers could be reached from the courtyard.
"We wanted to show the resolve we have got in place as part of our contingency planning.
"We wanted to make sure our aerial appliance could get through the castle's ancient arches – it was a tight squeeze but it made it to the courtyard.
"Many of the National Trust volunteers and staff came along to help."
