Bournemouth & Salisbury RRT support Disaster Victim Incident Exercise April 2016
DAY 2 Bournemouth RRT
The Exercise Velocity event is a 4 day DVI incident training exercise, planned for 18 months by the Dorset Police Force, as directed by the Government Home Office, to prepare for any future mass fatality event.
The Bournemouth RRT team of 10 arrived on site to set up the Survivor Rest Centre 25th April 2016, around 06:30am, to commence support on a 4-day exercise involving 700 personnel taking part e.g. Dorset Police, County, Borough and District Councils, NHS Hospitals Royal Bournemouth, also other voluntary support groups such as St John’s Ambulance, Red Cross, plus many more.
This exercise was set up to replicate a serious RTA involving 2 coaches, 4 cars, an HGV, and a cyclist. The purpose was to test the integration between all the local emergency services and support teams. RRT were asked to participate for 2 days providing welfare support. RRT supported in providing the triage actors with hot bacon roll breakfast at 07:30 before they set off to the crash site and then to welcome the ‘walking wounded’ back to the rest centre. Around 11:30am lunch was served to the actors some of which had been up since 3:30am!
During the return ‘walking wounded’ actors had to fill in their registration forms regarding the incident they had been involved in. RRT were there to make sure all were looked after and had food and welfare support.
DAY 3 Salisbury RRT
Salisbury RRT set up the Family and Friends Rest Centre, a different location to the SRC.
From 09:00 Salisbury RRT set up welfare facilities at one of the 130 Designated Emergency Planning Team Rest Centres in Dorset.
Light refreshments, hot and cold drinks were served immediately, then cold lunch as the day progressed and afternoon refreshments.
This day brought together Local Borough Council members, Chaperones, Chaplin, emotional and support Council Staff to reunite friends and family members following the disaster.
It is reassuring to know County Level Emergency Planning Teams have such departments to rise to a potentially devastating local or national disaster event in the future.
