A bus was involved in a crash on the A38(M) in Birmingham, in a collision that saw a lorry jack-knife, hitting a van and a car, that both turned on their sides. Another car was on its roof while another was jammed against the bus’ doors.
In reality, it was a joint fire and ambulance training exercise, using a section of the motorway that was already closed for repair works near Spaghetti Junction.
Highways England had been working closely with the emergency services for the past couple of months to stage the exercise.
Watch commander Andy Wagner of West Midlands Fire Service, who planned and organised the exercise, said: “We aim to get to life-risk emergencies in five minutes or less, and then put in place an assertive, safe and effective plan to resolve the incident.
“This scenario drew on the wide range of skills and resources that would be needed in such challenging circumstances. It was a great opportunity to test and perfect how several agencies work together.”
The incident also posed a challenge to paramedics called to the scene to treat nine ‘casualties’ in the form of actors that replicated wounds similar to those that would be experienced in real-life.
