HIWFRS Firefighters Join Multi-Agency ‘Exercise Casus’ Plane Crash Simulation at Southampton Airport
Firefighters from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) played an important role in a large-scale, multi-agency training exercise simulating a plane crash at Southampton Airport last week.
The scenario, titled Exercise Casus, took place on Thursday morning and brought together emergency responders from across the region to test their coordinated response to a major aviation incident.
Crews from Eastleigh and Hamble fire stations joined the HIWFRS Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team and their Wales USAR colleagues to respond to the simulated crash, which saw a plane collide with a car park, resulting in multiple casualties and damaged vehicles.
They worked alongside partners from South Central Ambulance Service, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), Southampton Airport Fire Service, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, and the HIWFRS Incident Command Unit.
Other agencies involved included Border Force, the Air Accident Investigation Branch, Rail Incident Officers, and other members of the Local Resilience Forum, highlighting the scale and complexity of the training.
Representing HIWFRS on the planning committee for the exercise was USAR Tactical Advisor and Eastleigh Fire Station Commander Paul Lawler, who praised the collaboration and preparation that went into the day.
“This exercise took months of planning to ensure all partners met their training objectives, whilst supporting colleagues at the Airport to ensure their assurance visit went extremely well,” he said.
“This scenario challenged our firefighters and commanders’ response to a major incident at one of our area’s critical sites.
“The size of this exercise highlights how complex an incident of this nature would be, so this training has provided an incredibly valuable experience for our teams, testing not just our firefighting and rescue skills, but also blue-light and partner collaboration.
“Of course, we hope we never have to use these skills in real life, but it’s important we prepare ourselves so that we are ready for whatever scale of incident we are faced with.”
Southampton Airport’s Managing Director Gavin Williams said the exercise was a vital opportunity to strengthen emergency preparedness and inter-agency cooperation.
“We were proud to lead, support and host this vital training scenario at Southampton Airport,” he said.
“Safety is our top priority, and collaborating with emergency services in realistic simulations like this ensures we’re prepared for any eventuality.
“The professionalism and coordination shown by all agencies involved was outstanding, and we’re grateful to have played a role in strengthening regional resilience.”
Station Manager Lawler, who also performed the role of HIWFRS Incident Commander during the exercise, thanked all who participated and supported the event.
“We would not have been able to replicate this training at any other location, so a big thank you to our hosts at Southampton Airport, who allowed us access to their site and tested their own procedures and multi-agency response in the exercise,” he said.
“A big thank you to all that participated — this includes firefighters, USAR teams, our Incident Command Unit, command assessors Mark and Jon, as well as the support from Station Manager Jason Boh.
“The exercise also gave our new search and rescue canine, Dottie, and her handler, Spencer, the opportunity for realistic training to support their development.”
The HIWFRS Urban Search and Rescue team played a key part in making the crash site safe for partner agencies and assisted in casualty rescues. The dedicated Incident Command Unit team, made up of members from Fire Control, IT, Technical Services, and other departments, were also mobilised to the scene to manage communications, logistics, accountability, and incident management.
Exercise Casus demonstrated the strength of multi-agency collaboration and provided valuable experience for all involved — ensuring that emergency services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are ready to respond swiftly and effectively to major incidents.
