Periodically, there are multi-partner exercises to rehearse the contingency procedures in the unlikely event of an emergency at the Tradebe solvent recycling plant in the Rye Harbour Road. Such emergencies might involve fire, spillage or other industrial accidents. The site is categorised at a risk level for which contingency plans have to be both in place and periodically tested
Last week there was a command response group mobilisation, both actual and by video link, at Rother District Council to validate the standing contingency plan.
Staff from multiple response agencies – police, fire, ambulance, local authorities and others – practised working together with Tradebe site managers to deal with a series of factors injected by exercise planners to reflect a typical emergency at the Tradebe site.
The command group was tasked with bringing the incident scenario to a safe conclusion by ensuring that a series of aims and objectives were met. These included: to identify and share areas of good practice; to identify any gaps in planned resources and capabilities; to familiarise everybody with their roles and responsibilities within the plan.
Rye local resilience team, REACT, took part to reconsider the risks to Rye and determine how it might best mobilise volunteers to help the authorities by providing local advice, resources and by supporting the public information process.
The exercise was valuable, but as usual there were lessons identified and these will be circulated later to all interested parties to help with future learning and to ensure improved handling of any real emergency at the site.
Image Credits: Anthony Kimber .