RAF sites at Coningsby and Donna Nook host emergency planning exercise

The exercise on Tuesday (May 21), known as Exercise PONDEROSA, simulated the crash of a RAF Chinook with a number of people on board, fatalities, and a large environmental spill, held at both RAF Donna Nook and RAF Coningsby.

Lincolnshire Police had ten personnel involved across RAF Coningsby and RAF Donna Nook, with the force’s Drone team provided the vital link from the Operational site to the tactical command site.

Other partner agencies included the RAF, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, Military, Lincolnshire County Council, and the Maritime Coastguard Agency.

This was the opportunity for Lincolnshire Police to assess the force’s crash plan and Commander’s Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme (JESIP) incident response framework, where joint working is critical to saving life and minimising harm in the event of a major incident.

JESIP encompasses five principles – Co-locate, Communicate, Co-ordinate, Jointly understand risk, and Shared Situational Awareness using the METHANE message: Major Incident, Exact location, Type of Incident, Hazards, Access, Number of Casualties, Emergency Services.

Ch Supt Paul Timmins, the Force lead for JESIP at Lincolnshire Police, said: “The tragic events of the Manchester Arena Attack in 2017 and subsequent learning for emergency services have shown that when under pressure and in extreme circumstances, the ability of Commanders to command can be inhibited.

"The need to develop “muscle memory” in command decision-making is at the forefront of emergency planning and exercising.

“It has been recognised that many officers within the Lincolnshire Police force have limited JESIP exposure. After this exercise, an informal debrief to Commanders will be given, which will identify gaps and identify opportunities to fill those gaps – this will provide key development areas to build into the future JESIP training.

“Over the next 12 months we intend to build on our JESIP training by ensuring that every officer from Constable to Inspector across Lincolnshire Police will have effective knowledge around how to operate within JESIP principles.”