EMERGENCY services from Yorkshire and Humberside worked with Drax Power Station near Selby to test their combined capabilities in dealing with complex emergency incidents.

A training exercise was staged at the UK’s largest power station on Saturday, as around 100 emergency services staff teamed up with power station employees to test their skills.

The scenario they were faced with included a staged tanker explosion, which for the purposes of the training exercise caused multiple issues at the industrial site, requiring specialist search and rescue skills to be deployed.

Before the event, Jez Rushworth, assistant chief fire officer (operations) from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “By providing all of the agencies and Drax staff, with an opportunity to test their collective capabilities in this manner it enables us to build on the high level of expertise we already have in responding to and managing very serious and complex incidents across the county.

“We’ll be practicing skills in tackling different kinds of fires, working within unfamiliar industrial environments, managing and minimising environmental hazards, as well as rescuing casualties with a range of injuries – all of which is vital training so when it comes to saving real lives, we’re as prepared as we can be.”

Staff from the following agencies took part in the exercise, alongside around 40 staff from Drax Power Station:

• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

• West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

• Humberside Fire and Rescue Service

• North Yorkshire Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team (HART)

• North Yorkshire County Council

• The Environment Agency

The staged incident was held at the southern side of the 1,850 acre Drax Power Station site.