A mock emergency was enacted at Alexandra Palace in north London as part of an emergency planning exercise. This was a chance for the emergency services, the council and NHS partners to practice responding to a major incident in Haringey borough.
The scenario was an explosion at a small “comeback” concert for a band. Actors played several parts in the exercise, mostly playing the dead and injured, with amputee actors made up to provide lifelike scenarios of casualties with missing limbs. Casualties were removed from the scene, taken into ambulances or to the temporary medical reception tent erected at the scene.
The actors also tested Haringey’s Survivor Centre, looking at how their needs might be met in a real emergency. The administration of the centre was also tested – how to register survivors, how to get them home having lost all their belongings and how to help them deal with the shock. Testing and exercising emergency plans is a routine part of ensuring all services are ready for major incidents.
