"In order to create a realistic environment, an Underground station has been replicated and then ‘crushed’ in the disused Littlebrook power station near Dartford, southeast of London. The exercise includes seven redundant D78 metro cars, thousands of tonnes of rubble, more than 1 000 casualties and hundreds of people from a wide range of organisations including fire, police and ambulance services, local authorities, Transport for London and specialist urban search and rescue teams.
‘You can’t get this sort of experience from a text book, we need to play it like it’s real and ensure that should the worst happen, our response is effective and well co-ordinated’, said London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson. ‘The modern fire service is no longer just about fires, we have a range of skills including carrying out complex rescues from height, detecting hazardous materials and rescuing people from water. "
