Fire simulation exercise at Radisson

Guests at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort in St George's Bay had a rude awakening yesterday morning when Civil Protection Department personnel turned up unannounced to carry out a fire simulation exercise.

CPD director Peter Cordina said none of the tourists staying at the hotel were informed of the exercise, which started at around 9 a.m. when the hotel administration raised the alarm that a fire had broken out on the fifth floor.

Seventeen 'injured' people were rescued from the hotel, while tourists and employees were evacuated while the CPD controlled the 'fire'. A triage unit was set up on site to determine which of the 'injured' needed to receive treatment first.

The exercise was one in a series of simulations organised to test the response time of the different entities required to work together in such a scenario.

Apart from the CPD, the St John Ambulance Brigade, the St John Rescue Corps, the Red Cross and a team of doctors from the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department participated.