"Survivors" of the fictional train crash arrive at the
Caldicot Leisure Centre.

One of the "survivors" being assisted by St John
Ambulance staff.

(Photo's first appeared in Monmouthshire County Council's
residents' magazine, "Community Spirit")

Severe weather, industrial accidents, acts of terrorism - these are just some of the disasters that appear in the news throughout the year. One of our roles as your Council is planning, training and exercising to make sure that our staff are prepared to respond to such major emergencies. Last year, our emergency planning service ran "Exercise Sidetrack" which saw over 100 volunteers descending on Caldicot Leisure Centre to role play the part of survivors of a fictional train crash in the Severn Tunnel.

The centre was set up to care for those passengers that did not need to be taken to hospital.

MCC, together with Heddlu Gwent Police, First Great Western and a range of Voluntary Agencies, including the WRVS, British Red Cross, Radio Amateurs [Emergency] Network (RAYNET), Cruse in Gwent, St John Ambulance and members of the clergy all participated in the exercise.

Communications Officer, Rachel Griffiths went undercover as a "survivor" to see how well the exercise went.

"On arriving at the leisure centre I'm told that I am to play a pregnant mum who's searching for her seven year old son having been separated from him in the accident. I'm even given 'my son's' photo as part of my instruction pack.

"Whilst getting my cuts and bruises created by the make-up team, I chat to other 'survivors', many of whom are local residents, and discover that every possible situation has been considered; people suffering from shock, concerns about contacting friends and family - to a woman insisting that her dog sees a vet.

"I am dealt with the moment I walk into the building and taken to see the police so that I can give a description of my 'son'. After speaking to the police, a care worker carefully guides me to a first aid room where my cuts are treated.

"After this, the same care worker takes me to be seated in a quiet area where I am given tea and a sympathetic ear. Each room in the leisure centre is full of people. Whilst nobody is pretending that a real emergency would be as calm as this, there are people shouting at one another, people are crying, a man 'faints' - all in all 'survivors' are pushing responders to the limit.

"After my 'son' and I are re-united I listen in on the de-brief. Each organisation talks about how they feel the day went. There are many shared positive experiences about how valuable the day was, together with highlighting areas that did not run smoothly.

"The day clearly provided an invaluable training opportunity, bringing organisations together to practice dealing with major emergencies."