Caldicot Leisure Centre used for emergency training event

A major training event has been held to test emergency responses should disaster strike Monmouthshire. 

Caldicot Leisure Centre was closed on Wednesday, November 6, so it could be used as a care and survivour reception centre in a training event involving more than 100 people. 

Inside its sports hall tables were set up with council staff, from leisure centre workers serving cups of tea and coffee, to social care teams taking details of those caught in the “emergency”, with support from the St John Ambulance and the Red Cross. 

Ian Hardman, Monmouthshire County Council’s emergency planning manager, said local authorities are “category one responders”, alongside emergency services, the health board and Natural Resources Wales should disaster strike. 

“Spain is a very good example of a very dynamic event that turned into a catastrophe,” said Mr Hardman of the flash flooding that hit Valencia at the end of October and cost more than 200 lives. 

“It’s a very good comparison of the work local authorities have to do to test existing procedures and work with partner agencies. 

“Please don’t think these things don’t happen, please think about the Manchester Arena bombing or Grenfell fire or the London attacks in 2005. 

“We have to be prepared and the legislation tells us we have to be prepared. Our incidents may be lowkey, more localised but we still have to have all these arrangements in place.” 

The training exercise was based on a scenario of a major fire at a reenactment event at Caldicot Castle, which the police suspect was deliberately started. 

Gwent Police had its own registration and incident room, in an upstairs community room at the leisure centre, manned by police staff who would be involved in real life. 

Mr Hardman, who has held the emergency planning post for 20 years, said while the council and emergency services have plans agreed on paper a live training event is a rare chance for the various staff to work together, with 45 involved. 

It also recruited 87 volunteers to play confused, and in some cases, distressed surviours and had children’s play facilities available to look after those who could be unable to return to their cars, or leave the centre until police finish their initial investigations. 

The RSPCA were among the agencies recruited with the council having asked volunteers to bring dogs as it sought to think of the unexpected. 

Preparing for emergencies is more than role playing however as Mr Hardman said the council has put a care centre on standby every year for the past five years, most recently for potential flooding in Skenfrith. 

Emergency planning officer Julia Detheridge said flooding is the area’s most common risk and it used the Shire Hall in Monmouth as a reception centre when Storm Dennis caused flooding in February 2020.