A new, purpose-built, disaster training facility is to be set up at Westcott Venture Park in Aylesbury for the region’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team.
The USAR programme was established following the 9/11 attack on New York in September 2001, to improve the country’s ability to respond to the increased risks posed by terrorism.
USAR forms part of the Government’s New Dimension programme, which seeks to enhance the capability of the fire and rescue service to respond to a range of major emergencies.
The site at Westcott is understood to still be in the very early stages of development, including sourcing a range of materials from rubble to unwanted vehicles to help build a rescue scene.
Kevin Mercer, Aylesbury and USAR Station Commander, said:
“We are really excited about our future at Westcott where we aim to develop one of the best USAR training facilities in the country.
“Our tenancy will help further showcase Westcott and its commitment to supporting this specific and essential national resilience capability.”
In September 2020, Westcott hosted Exercise Phoenix, a major disaster training operation which involved a scenario of a small jet crashing into a rocket testing and fuel production facility.
Alan Still, Watch Commander USAR Support, said:
“Exercise Phoenix was extremely successful, and it opened people’s eyes to the potential it has for hosting such large-scale exercises. A significant part of the training facility is a blank piece of land, where we need the equivalent of 200 tonnes of rubble, and we need help to build it.”
In another string to its bow, Westcott will also become a recognised site for training the 20 specialist USAR canine teams to detect live human scent.
Anyone who may have suitable materials to help build the rubble pile/disaster scenario should email Kevin Mercer or Alan Still: kmercer@bucksfire.gov.uk or alanstill@bucksfire.gov.uk.
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