Firefighters practiced rescuing someone from a barge in Chichester Harbour using a simulated serious fire last weekend.
The joint training exercise with HM Coastguard, RNLI, and Chichester Harbour Masters Team took place in the sea at Itchenor on Sunday.
The mock incident arranged by Chichester Harbour Conservancy saw crews respond to a simulated fire on a barge at sea and rescue a person from the engine room.
Crews from Chichester, Selsey, and East Wittering attended the incident alongside HM Coastguard and RNLI.
Anton Mezzone, Station Manager at Chichester Fire Station, said: “With around 50 miles of coastline in West Sussex, it’s vital that we are able to practice our response to emergency incidents at sea and along the shore.
“This exercise presented a challenging scenario with a barge fire that tested our ability to make critical decisions and work collaboratively under pressure.
“It was fantastic to work with other emergency services and test our preparedness in this environment. I would like to thank everyone involved in making it a success.
“We regularly carry out training drills at fire stations, our training centre, and in the community to ensure that our crews are prepared for all fire and rescue scenarios they may deal with when on duty.”
Ludo Munn, Lead Patrol Officer at Chichester Harbour Conservancy, said: “It provided an invaluable opportunity to collaborate with emergency services and refine our own emergency response procedures.”
