The Environment Agency and emergency services are teaming up in a joint exercise next week to test ways to protect Salisbury from flooding.
Exercise Touchpaper will last 3 days and is led by the Environment Agency, who will supply flood barriers, about 50 staff and all the necessary equipment for a pump.
Soldiers and firefighters will test their speed and efficiency by setting up temporary flood barriers during Exercise Touchpaper.
The army’s ability to set up barriers will be tested at Ashley Road in Salisbury on 1 October where it should take soldiers about 3 hours to set up 350m of defences, before they are taken down again.
Guy Parker of the Environment Agency said:
“This is an opportunity to test the speed and efficiency of the army in setting up temporary flood barriers at Ashley Road and Fisherton Recreation Ground to reduce flood risk to properties in Salisbury in times of need.”
“Practising with the barriers now to get the alignment right and give valuable experience to the military is obviously preferable than during a flood.”
The exercise will also trial:
new equipment to allow firefighters’ pumps and hoses to be connected to Environment Agency equipment
a new way to capture water from hoses during firefighting to stop it from entering watercourses and be reused
Community information officers – a new role for the Environment Agency to give face-to-face information and updates during an incident
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service will be supporting the exercise by helping to set up the temporary flood barriers, and a high volume pump will be brought up from Christchurch on the third day (operational commitments allowing).
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