Multi-agency flood exercise puts plans to the test

A two-day exercise to test flood resilience plans in Nottinghamshire has been hailed a success.

FloodEx22 brought together multiple agencies in a dry run of how they would react to a major flooding incident.

The live exercise involved around 80 delegates and took place at Highfields Fire Station in Beeston on 15 and 16 November.

Representatives from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Environment Agency, Severn Trent and local councils were given a scenario and tasked to implement a multiagency response.

The exercise was designed to test the county’s flood plans, as well as the wider joint frameworks developed to ensure a joined-up approach between the county and Central Government.

Station Manager Christian Brown of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, who helped plan the exercise, said: "We were really pleased to host this multi-agency exercise at Highfields Fire Station and there has been lots of learning for us to take away should a large-scale incident like this happen in the future.

"Conducting training exercises like this allows us to test our plans and practice our collaborative working so we can be best prepared for scenarios we hope never happen in real life."

Candice Sewell, senior advisor in the Area Incident Team at the Environment Agency said: “The exercise was a fantastic opportunity to work with other local agencies and to test the strategic, tactical and operational elements of Nottinghamshire’s response to a major flooding incident.

“It is vitally important to practice our emergency response, so that we are fully prepared and able to provide the best possible service to keep the public safe.”

At the start of the exercise, delegates were given a scenario whereby 174 properties were flooded in various towns and villages following widespread rainfall – with further persistent and heavy rain set to fall over the next five days.

Farmland in areas including Attenborough, Clifton, Colwick, Stoke Bardolph, Gunthorpe, Hoveringham, Fiskerton, Farndon, Newark, Kelham, South Muskham and North Muskham, Collingham, Sutton on Trent, Church Laneham, North Clifton, Torksey, Lea, were also under water.

Meanwhile, the Met Office had issued 27 flood warnings for Nottinghamshire.

During the exercise, the teams were able to apply their skills and experience to the scenario and understand how a number of factors could impact a real life situation, adapting their responses as the mock situation developed.

It included a Tactical Coordinating Group meeting on Microsoft Teams so each agency could provide updates on the live situation.

During the meeting, a major incident was declared and action plans agreed.

Among those taking part from Nottinghamshire Police was Superintendent Louise Clarke, who said the exercise had made her feel “very confident” the county was well-prepared for a large-scale flooding event.

She said: “The test has shown there are a number of plans in place that are relevant and up-to-date should the county be hit by a major flooding event.

“It’s been a huge exercise and has really highlighted the amount of partner agencies involved and what they can bring to the table in terms of their capability.

“This level of coordination will be really helpful in the event of a significant flooding incident."