An emergency planning exercise held today (9 October) on the river Ouse has highlighted the importance of partnership working to ensure an effective and co-ordinated approach.

Partners were involved in an unrehearsed staging of a rescue to free passengers from a pleasure boat supposedly damaged by a falling tree. This enabled York River Ouse Safety Advisory Group (ROSAG) to test its River Ouse Emergency Plan with emergency services and voluntary organisations.

Held upstream of Bishopthorpe in a deliberately difficult to reach stretch of the Ouse, the exercise called on the expertise of officers from the council, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the Canal and River Trust, as well as York Rescue Boat and City Cruises York.

‘Casualties’ were ferried from the stricken boat to Bishopthorpe Marina where, if required, they were treated by Yorkshire Ambulance Service and then sent to a survivor reception centre in the village for further assessment and support given by the Major Incident Response Team.
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