Cardiff Prison Training Exercise
On the evening of Thursday 6th March, crew members from White Watch Cardiff Central participated in a training exercise at Cardiff Prison, simulating a fire response within the facility. Located directly across from Station 51, the prison raised the alarm, and crews aboard two appliances quickly mobilised and entered through the front gates to respond to the following scenario:
A live fire has been reported in F Wing, Landing 2, near the Chapel. Staff have completed an evacuation, but three prisoners remain unaccounted for: two are in their cell and unresponsive, while the third is on the landing but cannot be seen due to smoke logging. The staff have also evacuated the wing.
Upon arrival, crews identified the nearest fire hydrant and began running a length of hose the substantial distance, scaling a flight of stairs to reach Landing 2. Wearing breathing apparatus, two crew members located the ‘casualties’ within the cells and shower unit, safely carrying them out of harm’s way, while other team members worked to extinguish the fire.
A member of the prison’s health and safety team explained, “Cell fires have become increasingly frequent, with prisoners dismantling vapes to ignite items like bed sheets. This creates significant disruption, and our goal is to minimise these incidents. This exercise is crucial for ensuring that both prison staff and fire service crews know exactly what procedures to follow in the event of a real emergency.”
Station Commander Rhydian Jones, who coordinated the exercise, commented: “This training at HM Prison Cardiff was invaluable in maintaining and enhancing our operational readiness. It’s vital that we build strong working relationships with prison staff to improve our response in real-world situations.
“Crews employed a range of techniques during the exercise, utilising 45mm and 70mm hoses, as well as breathing apparatus, to address the simulated fire. Afterward, we held a debrief to assess our response and identify areas for improvement. In fact, just two days later, we were called to a real fire at the prison, where an inmate had set a fire in a bin within their cell on Landing 3. We responded, inspected the scene, and reset the alarm.”
