MARITIME AND
COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (115/08) issued by The Government
News Network on 7 May 2008
An exercise, named
'Exercise Auger', will test the emergency services
response to a fire at sea between Cherbourg and Poole on
Wednesday, 14 May. The exercise will involve the Brittany Ferries
ship, 'MV Cotentin,' which will report a
'fire' via a distress call on marine band radio. The
ship's captain will request firefighting assistance.
This exercise is designed to deploy the Maritime Incident
Response Group (MIRG) by Coastguard helicopter to a seagoing
vessel. Other organisations involved will include the Maritime and
Coastguard Agency (MCA), Hampshire, Dorset and East Sussex Fire
and Rescue Services, Poole Harbour Commissioners and Brittany Ferries.
There are fifteen MIRG teams who provide cover for the United
Kingdom's coastline for incidents involving fires, hazardous
materials and industrial accidents. After initial alerting by the
MCA, MIRG personnel respond to pager messages and ensure they are
equipped and ready to fly within 60 minutes. The MIRG are all
volunteers who, in addition to learning practical ship
firefighting are trained in water sea survival, helicopter
underwater escape, helicopter operations, winching and use of the
extensive equipment provided by the MCA and Fire Service
specifically for the MIRG.
Lee Fisher, Rescue Co-ordination Centre Manager at HM Coastguard,
Lee-on-Solent says: "We are delighted that Brittany Ferries
have once again offered their vessel 'MV Cotentin' as a
platform to enable a multi-agency exercise to test our local MIRG
call out procedures. The MIRG now forms an integral part of the
United Kingdom's search and rescue response. Exercise
"Auger" will ensure the local MIRG teams gain valuable
experience and information regarding areas for improvement."
Group Manager Mick Johns of Hampshire's MIRG team says:
"Regular exercises with other fire and rescue services,
shipping companies, and emergency services allow us to test our
training and offshore procedures. This gives us a better
understanding of each other's roles, which ultimately makes
sea travel safer.
"Thanks to the various agencies taking part in UK MIRG and
exercises like this, the UK has the world's most advanced
procedures and plans for firefighting at sea. The 'Sea of
Change' project was formed to set up 15 MIRG teams to provide
this response from strategic locations, one of these being
Hampshire. Our thanks go to Brittany Ferries for allowing us to
exercise onboard their ship."
Ends
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