The largest counter terrorism training exercise ever took place in London on Sunday, with more than 1,000 people descending on Canary Wharf.
Organised by Counter Terrorism Policing London, the exercise was held to test emergency services’ response to terror attacks, with organisers drawing on lessons learned after the Manchester Arena terrorist attack.
The event, codenamed Firebird, involved dozens of actors who helped create a scenario that tested the skills of emergency responders in dealing with a marauding terrorist attack.
A section of the Canary Wharf estate was closed to the public until midday to enable the exercise to take place.
Participants included police officers, firefighters, paramedics and counter-terrorism investigation teams as well as Canary Wharf security staff.
Experiences from real-life events and previous exercises fed the design of the exercise.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Kris Wright, who directed the exercise, told the Press Association: “A good example would be 10-second triage, which is the emergency services response to how we would triage, categorise and care for people, of varying different injuries at a catastrophic event.
“That is a lesson that’s come from the tragic events of Manchester Arena, that everybody in emergency services is keen to embed and work together in a consistent format.”
Organisers also worked with local make-up colleges to create realistic-looking injuries to treat at the scene.
Mr Wright said: “For me, exercises like this give me an opportunity to test what we already know or where we have seen opportunities to learn, and also to test, those newer capabilities.
“The response that Londoners see from their emergency services and partners to the most catastrophic events is, in my opinion, world-leading. But we shouldn’t be complacent. We should continue to stretch ourselves and test ourselves, and that’s what we do here today.”
He added: “I want to emphasise that this was also not carried out in response to any specific threat or intelligence.
“The terrorism threat level across the UK was recently raised to ‘severe’ so we always need people to be vigilant, but I hope this reassures Londoners that should the worst happen, that we are ready and prepared to respond in the best possible way.”
Security Minister, Dan Jarvis said: “Our emergency services work around the clock to keep us safe. Exercises like this ensure that should they be called upon, they are able to respond quickly, effectively and with confidence. I’d like to thank all those organisations who took part in this exercise and those who facilitated it.
“We have backed our world-leading intelligence agencies and counter-terrorism police with record levels of funding in order to protect us from the threats we face.
“The UK terrorism threat level is currently ‘severe’ so if you see something that doesn’t feel right, report it to the police– you will never be wasting their time.”
