Emergency services workers in the region have been preparing for the threat of a major incident – such as a terrorist attack.
Ambulance specialists have been leading the way, with the East of England Ambulance Service Trust’s (EEAST) Special Operations team conducting a wide range of training with its specialised clinicians and partner agencies.
The 12-week training programme looks at sudden impact events, such as a marauding terrorist firearms attack.
Working with the trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team and the Ambulance Intervention Team, expertise is being developed through the training, which focuses on planning, procedures and response in a variety of environments.
Steven Moore, senior specialist operations manager, said: “The training conducted is graphic and hectic to match the environments our staff will go into should an incident like this occur.
“We try to make sure everyone involved is aware of what they may come across in this role by conducting a variety of training exercises that cover a wide range of scenarios.
“It’s also vital we work closely with our fire and rescue colleagues, as well as police. These will be the people entering the warm zone of any incident and stepping into harm’s way to help those in urgent need.
“We are making sure our teams are as comfortable as possible in these dynamic and challenging environments to best prepare them for what may happen.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here