South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) will team up with its emergency service partners and other local agencies to test the response to a major incident.

The public should be aware and not alarmed by the ‘live-play’ Exercise Comet, which will take place close to Guildford railway station on 11 July from 10am until 2.30pm.

The exercise will involve partners from Surrey Local Resilience Forum (SLRF) testing their plans and multi-agency incident response. Joining SECAmb are Surrey Police, British Transport Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue, Network Rail, Surrey County Council, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford Borough Council, Environment Agency, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast, the Rail Delivery Group and Surrey 4×4 Volunteers.

The exercise will mean a large emergency service presence in the area with around 300 responders attending to around 100 casualties, provided by the Casualties Union.

SECAmb Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Manager, Dave Nelson said: “We are looking forward to working with our partners as we test our response to a major incident and each ensure we are able to work together, reduce harm and save lives in a major incident. 

“The public in the area should not be alarmed with the increased emergency service activity. This pre-planned exercise is an important part of us being assured of our resilience and response plans which we will review and strengthen where required after the exercise.”

The Surrey Local Resilience Forum (LRF) is a collaborative partnership involving local emergency services, councils, health and other partners, all working together to ensure Surrey is well-prepared for emergencies.

Surrey LRF’s role is to plan and prepare for local emergencies. It identifies potential risks, specific to Surrey, and produces plans to either prevent or mitigate the impact of any incident on communities. You can find a list of risks within Surrey and how you can ensure you can prepare for any future emergencies, by visiting Surrey County Council website.