Concept Smoke Systems – Emergency Exercise in Southwick Tunnel
In September 2022, the A27 Southwick Tunnel in West Sussex became the focal point of a large-scale emergency exercise known as Operation Higgins. This multi-agency drill simulated a complex scenario involving a road traffic incident and an electric vehicle fire within the tunnel, aiming to test and enhance the coordinated response of various emergency services.
As a leading manufacturer of smoke generators Concept Smoke Systems, played a crucial role in adding realism to the exercise. The company was tasked with producing safe, non-toxic artificial smoke to replicate the challenging conditions of a tunnel fire. Utilizing their advanced oil-based smoke systems, Concept Smoke Systems ensured that the generated smoke was extremely persistent, effectively simulating real smoke behaviour in a confined environment.
John Nicholas, Southwick Tunnel Manager at National Highways, emphasized the importance of such
exercises:
The A27 Southwick Tunnel live exercise is one of the many opportunities that National Highways takes to work with local emergency services, local authorities and stakeholders to test, validate and train in a controlled environment on the strategic road network.
He further acknowledged the dedication involved:
The planning and preparation for these events takes many hours of dedication from each participating organisation which leads to improvements in training, refinements in procedures, reprioritisation of investment works with better working knowledge and stronger working relationships for all involved.
Concept Smoke Systems has a longstanding reputation for providing high-quality smoke effects for training and testing purposes. Their expertise in creating realistic training environments has been recognized in various large-scale operations. For instance, during a previous exercise in the Hatfield Tunnel, their ViCount smoke systems provided continuous smoke for a two-hour-long emergency drill, demonstrating the reliability and effectiveness of their equipment.
The success of Operation Higgins underscored the value of realistic training scenarios in preparing emergency services for actual incidents. The collaboration between National Highways, emergency responders, and Concept Smoke Systems exemplified a commitment to safety and preparedness on the UK’s road networks.
Allan Prasad, Senior Engineer – Tunnel Safety, National Highways commented:
My observations were that Concept Smoke represented themselves be to very professional and flexible to our needs. During the preparatory planning phase of Exercise Higgins, they responded to enquires quickly and their RAMS were detailed and appropriate. We had no questions from our participants regarding the safety of their system or the products of the smoke machine.
On the night, the team were punctual and professional again. They were always ready to amend the amount of smoke produced upon our instructions. The scene in which they set-up was clean, tidy and exactly what we needed for this exercise. All on all, I am very happy with their services.
Watch here:
Equipement used:
