Tuesday 28 February 2017
Representatives from Guernsey will use a major exercise in Jersey next week to hone the Bailiwick's plans for dealing with a large-scale maritime emergency.
Senior staff from the harbour, Home Affairs, Guernsey Police, Health & Social Care, Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service, and St John Emergency Ambulance Service will attend at various points during the four-day exercise, which takes place between 6th and 10th March.
Deputy Gavin St Pier, Chair of the Civil Contingencies Authority, said:
'Key representatives from Guernsey will be attending this exercise, which is based on the scenario of a collision between a high speed ferry and a cruise ship, as we are very aware that we could learn valuable lessons in terms of our response should a similar incident occur in Bailiwick waters.
'Notionally this collision will result in a fire aboard the high speed ferry, with the requirement to evacuate the cruise ship. It will test all the levels of command and control that would be associated with an incident of this magnitude, from the operational response of Jersey's emergency services, other government organisations and responders, all the way to political liaison with United Kingdom and French governments. It will also give Jersey the chance to test their procedure for requesting assistance from the UK military, as well as testing Guernsey's mutual assistance agreements with them.'
Kevin Murphy, States Emergency Planning Officer, said there were many benefits to Guernsey staff attending as observers.
'We will use this major exercise as an opportunity to test our mutual assistance agreements, validate our plans for requesting assistance from the United Kingdom and the military, observe the various strands of this exercise, and learn key points that relate to us. We will also use this opportunity to further develop our plans for future exercises.'
