Emergency services descended on Newcastle's Utilita Arena as they practiced their response to a terrorist attack.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) led a training exercise on Thursday, October 20 that saw them work alongside Northumbria Police and the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to deal with a simulated incident at the arena.
Volunteers played the parts of casualties, allowing agencies involved to test how they would locate suspects, treat injured people and protect the public.
Area manager Richie Rickaby, lead for Community Safety at TWFRS, said: “This was a fantastic example of collaborative working with our key partners across Tyne and Wear. We all have statutory duties to test how we would respond in a terrorist incident and we do want to stress that this exercise is part of that continuous learning.
"This kind of joint working should reassure communities here in our region that we have tried and tested procedures in place to keep you safe if this kind of incident did take place. I am really proud of all the personnel who have facilitated the exercise and want to personally thank TWFRS staff and our multi-agency partners for taking part.”
The emergency services have stressed that the training exercise was not in response to any intelligence.
Northumbria Police assistant chief constable, Sav Patsalos, said: “It is important that we come together with our emergency service colleagues to test our collective response to incidents of this nature and offer reassurance to the communities we serve.
“While we hope all the training we have put in place is never needed, it is important we make sure we are prepared and ready to respond if that time ever comes.
“I also want to make it clear that this was a pre-planned exercise and there is no particular significance behind the decision to hold it in our region, or indeed to use this venue above any other crowded place. I would like to further take this opportunity to thank all those agencies involved and for their commitment to protecting our communities.”
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said the exercise demonstrated they can quickly send specialist teams to a terrorist incident despite pressures on the health service.
Stuart Holliday, strategic head of emergency preparedness at NEAS, said: "This important exercise is another example of the excellent joint working we enjoy between the emergency services in the region. It also gives assurance of our ability to deploy specialist medical teams quickly to the scene of a terrorist incident despite the current pressures in the health service and deliver first-class care to the casualties."
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