West Midlands Fire Service exercise at Coventry University, Saturday 8 April

West Midlands Fire Service will be staging a large-scale, real-time training exercise on Saturday 8 April in Priory Hall, the tall tower block on Priory Street, Coventry, opposite the cathedral and Britannia Hotel.

The exercise will start mid-morning, run for three hours and involve up to 15 fire engines and 70 firefighters.

Around 50 volunteers will be ‘rescued’ from the building by fire crews. 

Station Commander Richard Stanton said:

We’re extremely grateful for the opportunity of being able to use Priory Hall for the exercise.

 

We stage two large-scale exercises every weekend to ensure that our crews can always act safely, effectively and assertively when our communities need us.

 

We try to make our exercises as realistic as possible although, on this occasion, the fire engines will not be responding in emergency mode. Some may sound their sirens and use their blue lights in the immediate vicinity of the tower block, as they arrive.

 

Members of the public might spot smoke coming from the building, but shouldn’t be alarmed.”

The 19-storey Priory Hall G block was taken out of use by Coventry University in 2015.

For further information contact Neil Spencer, Media Relations Manager for West Midlands Fire Service, on neil.spencer@wmfs.net or +44 (0)121 380 6101.