Multi-agency training exercise in Scarborough is a success

Earlier this week we hosted a multi-agency exercise at North Yorkshire Water Park in Scarborough.

 

The exercise took place on Wednesday,26 April and we were joined by partners from North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, His Majesty’s Coastguard, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, police search advisors, the regional police marine unit, Mountain Rescue and The Royal Air Force. Staff at the waterpark also got involved.

 

The water park originally comprised of four specialist fishing lakes, along with a large lake dedicated to water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, model yacht racing and open water swimming.

A new aquapark opened on the site in 2017 allowing visitors to enjoy more variety of activities. Others visit for a walk, jog or cycle around the 2.5k track and enjoy the stunning views of the area.

 

Two scenarios were played out during the day.

 

The first was to test the initial response to a call after a small group of people had gone missing during the Water Park’s opening hours. The initial response was led by the water park staff and police before other agencies got involved.

 

A second scenario involved a significant number of people accessing the park after it had closed. The group engaged in anti-social behaviour involving drug and alcohol use resulting in multiple missing persons and a range of injuries. This scenario tested a multi-agency response including under water searches and body recovery.

 

Both scenarios involved live ‘casualties’ and all agencies performed very well with constructive de-briefs.

 

Training like this better equips us for an incident of this nature and tests each agencies approach. They make us more knowledgeable of each other’s role and strengthens relationships between different organisations.

 

We hope you enjoy some of the pictures we have put together from the event.