Firefighters put Grenfell Tower learning to the test on exercise at Sunderland's Amble Tower

Firefighters from Sunderland’s Community Fire Stations practised what chiefs called vital evacuation procedures at a residential high-rise building in the city.

More thirty crew members from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS )performed essential training procedures at Amble Tower, which is operated by the Gentoo Group housing association.

Joe Haustead, head of community safety, development and improvement at TWFRS said such exercises are regularly played out throughout the region, and are a critical part of the service’s armoury in light of the devastating Grenfell Tower tragedy.

“This exercise will hopefully reassure Gentoo and other Tyne and Wear residents who live in high-rise accommodation that the Fire Service is training for all eventualities that may occur in the region,” he said.

“We regularly work in partnership with housing associations, private landlords, local authorities and fellow blue light organisations to ensure that our training and fire safety regulations meet the required national standards.

“As we look to keep residents safe from harm, and let them know that we are learning, practising and delivering lifesaving procedures across Tyne and Wear.”

The one-hour exercise was played out in real-time from the mock TWFRS Fire Control emergency call through to the firefighters arriving at Amble Towers in their fire appliances, and using full breathing apparatus.

The ‘pretend’ evacuation didn’t involve actual residents, simulated fire or smoke. But the firefighters were under instruction to evacuate a number of people from certain floors using actual incident conditions.

Amble Towers consists of 97 apartments, and it forms part of seven residential towers at Lakeside in Sunderland. There are 679 apartments in total across the series of high-rises buildings.

Stephen Flounders, Director of Risk and Assurance at Gentoo Group, said:

“The safety of our tenants is at the heart of everything we do here at Gentoo. Our partnership with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service enables us to work together on exercises like this keep Sunderland’s residents safe in the event of any incidents.”

For further information about the work of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service please visit www.twfire.gov.uk and for the Gentoo Group visit https://gentoogroup.com/for-customers/.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.