Emergency services stage realistic major incident training for mass casualties near Scarborough

The multi-agency scenario at North Yorkshire Water Park in Wykeham involved North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s water rescue teams, North Yorkshire Police’s dive teams, HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team on April 26.

A fire service spokesperson said water rescue crews from across North Yorkshire took part in the tactical exercise to “practice their water rescue skills and put their knowledge to the test”.

The mock emergency scenario involved reports of 14 missing people in and around the water park’s lakes who had been attending an illicit barbecue that had taken place when the park was closed.

It quickly escalated resulting in many drunk casualties suffering from multiple realistic injuries.

The large-scale exercise tested a multi-agency response to a major incident with more than 20 casualties and included helicopters and drones.

The water park was closed to the public during the training exercise but has since reopened.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Water Park said: “It was a privilege to have been able to support those that continue to do a great job within the community and host local emergency services as they carried out one of the largest water-based training exercises.”