Fire training exercise at College Bank flats

Date published: 21 March 2023

The fire service carried out a training exercise at the College Bank flats in Rochdale on Tuesday (21 March).

The drill took place in the Mitchell Hey block and was visible to many local residents.

Over 100 volunteers took part in the exercise, helping to create realistic scenes and situations by playing the part of live casualties and simulating emergency calls.

Ten appliances attended the exercise made up of crews from Rochdale, Oldham, Bury, Bolton and Wigan.

A spokesperson for Rochdale Boroughwide Housing said: “As part of our shared commitment to keeping residents safe, we’re hosting our friends at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on Tuesday 21 March for a major training exercise. 

“We are very grateful for the patience and understanding of residents who live in College Bank.”

Exercises like this are carried out regularly by the fire and rescue service to train in a realistic environment.

Leon Parkes, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "This type of exercise is a vital part of our training and development as we continue to provide the best possible response to people across Greater Manchester.

“Since the tragedy of Grenfell Tower there has been lots of national recommendations on high-rise fires and building safety, and we have undertaken a fundamental review of our procedures and invested in our capability, with the introduction of smoke hoods and smoke curtains, to ensure we are able to deal with fires and evacuations more effectively."

Fire crews worked closely with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing staff to ensure multi-agency learning and training.

North West Fire Control, who handle 999 calls for the fire service, also tested their procedures as part of this exercise, with the help of living footage from the scene being streamed to them via the Air Unit’s drone.

All photos kind courtesy of J Media Group Press & Media.