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A gas explosion formed the basis of a scenario that tested the medical skills of Scottish firefighters and British Army reserves in a recent training exercise held at the National Training Centre in Cambuslang.
The multi-agency exercise simulated a gas explosion in a village, creating multiple casualties and requiring the rapid deployment of an emergency field hospital.
It involved c.70 Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel including specialist rope teams, and members of the UK International search and rescue organisation, UKISAR. They were joined by approximately 60 members of the British Army’s 144 Parachute Medical Squadron, the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercise Unit, the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland.
The training exercise provided an opportunity to test interoperability between specialist teams, including USAR and rope rescue, as well as joint working with partner agencies. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Watch Commander and UKISAR Crew Leader Steve Adams said: “Exercises like this are vital in strengthening our operational readiness and ensuring we continue to work effectively with our partners to keep communities safe.”
When asked what value this type of collaborative training brought to soldiers, Officer Commanding 144 (Parachute) Medical Squadron, Major Josh March, said: “As Army Reservists, many of us also work in the NHS and other emergency services. Collaborative training brings those skills together and keeps our medics sharp on the basics, while ensuring we’re ready to provide care in the most complex environments.”
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