Despite six fire engines and two specialist vehicles rushing to Quarry Bank Mill last week, residents needn't have worried as they were not responding to an emergency but instead taking part in a planned training exercise.
Cheshire firefighters worked with staff from The National Trust to co-ordinate an emergency exercise at Quarry Bank Mill last week to learn how to help save priceless artefacts should a fire break out.
The purpose of the exercise was to ensure that should a fire break out in the 18th century cotton mill, fire crews and staff would know exactly what to do to help protect visitors, themselves and also the building, its contents and priceless artefacts.
Station Manager Duncan Palin co-ordinated the exercise. He said: "We worked closely with Simon Whitehead from Quarry Bank Mill and his staff to make the exercise as realistic as possible, to ensure that everyone knew what to do and help them be prepared should a fire ever take hold at the mill.
"We sent six fire engines and two specialist vehicles to the scene which was set around a four storey area where the kitchen, function room and café are situated. The scenario was that a fire had broken out in the kitchen trapping one person in the basement and two people in the function rooms on the upper floors. They all needed finding, rescuing and the fire extinguishing.
While some of the crews got to work fighting the fire and rescuing the people, others assisted with the salvage operation which involved removing priceless items to a place of safety as the fire threatened to spread to an area where archives and artefacts were stored."
The exercise was deemed a great success by both parties and some good learning points were taken away which will help to protect one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites for generations to come.
