No need to be alarmed if you see a big fire service 'incident' on Sunday
Residents in the south Shropshire border have been asked not to be alarmed if they see a 'major incident' on Sunday morning.
It is an exercise taking place in the Brampton Bryan area which is on the Shropshire and Herefordshire border.
The exercise is being lead by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) which will be "carrying out an important training exercise".
It will incorporate a series of fire and rescue training scenarios around Brampton Bryan Hall in north Herefordshire on Sunday morning. Members of the public and students from Ludlow will be involved as 'casualties'.
Up to seven fire appliances will be used for the training, deploying from fire stations right across the area including Leintwardine, Kingsland, Ewyas Harold, Kington and Fownhope, plus the service welfare vehicle from Tenbury Wells, with cross border support from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
HWFRS community volunteers will also be taking part to act as members of the public affected by the incident, providing the firefighters with realistic opportunities to rescue people and provide emergency first aid in a pressurised situation.
Marc Mercer, watch commander from HWFRS’s West District, the exercise controller, said: “This will be an invaluable opportunity to test out and improve our fire and rescue procedures when working with colleagues from other Fire and Rescue Services.
“HWFRS are grateful of the support of the landowner and estate team for the use of the property and being so engaging with the planning.
“We have a number of Hereford and Ludlow college students that are aspiring to join the public service that will be interacting with us on the day, be it as casualties or following our commanders to have an insight of the pressures and decision making involved during a incident.
“Careful planning means that our emergency fire and rescue response capabilities will remain at normal levels throughout the day for the safety of the area and elsewhere in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and we have notified local residents of the exercise.
“We’ve received total support from the local community to date and I’d like to thank them for their patience while we undertake this vital training.”
The exercise is planned to take place between approximately 10:30am - 1 pm.
The fire service has tweeted: "Don't be concerned if you see emergency services vehicles around Brampton Bryan on Sunday morning - it's a HW Fire exercise."
