Emergency response exercise: Resilient Islands (FOI)

Request

There was a recent emergency exercise, over the period 6 to 10 March 2017. This was called ‘Resilient Islands’.

A

Given that the lifeboat was at the heart of the rescue of the passengers on the Channiland Ferry at Corbiere 22 years ago, as would be the norm, why was the RNLI not involved in this operation? Surely both St Helier Lifeboats would in a normal emergency be at the heart of such a rescue?

B

Can you please advise what the cost of this operation was to Ports of Jersey?

Response

A 

Exercise Resilient Islands was an annual Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) validation exercise held between four 'Blue Light Services'.

JESIP was produced to improve the way the Police, Fire & Rescue Service, Ambulance, and Coastguard work together when responding to major multi-agency incidents such as Exercise Resilient Islands.

The objectives were carefully considered by the exercise management team and deliberately limited to keep what they wished to test and exercise within their capacity to manage safely.

The exercise therefore concentrated on the following areas:

• a marine-firefighting response

• a full Emergency Services response (to an incident for a vessel alongside)

• to exercise the JESIP command and political engagement for such an incident

It was decided that to do much more would overload capacity.

This approach was briefed to the RNLI Channel Islands Coast Review Team and the Regional Management Team in January 2017.

B 

The States of Jersey do not hold this information. The information may be held by the Ports of Jersey and a request may be made directly to them at ask@ports.je or to the following postal address:

Ports of Jersey, St Peter, Jersey, JE1 1BY.