by Graham Tutthill

The secret wartime tunnels deep within the White Cliffs of Dover were the scene a major exercise involving the fire service and Dover Castle staff on Tuesday night, September 22.

The exercise, called Henry, saw staff from Kent Fire and Rescue Service and English Heritage responding to a serious fire deep underground in the tunnels.

Devised by KFRS and the Visitor Operations team at the Secret Wartime Tunnels, the ‘disaster’ unfolded after emergency control room operators received a call to reports of smoke with people trapped inside.

While fire crews made their way to the scene, site staff carried out a full evacuation of the tunnels which were full of hundreds of mock-visitors.

In an added test, when the first crews from Dover arrived they were confronted by hundreds of worried and upset sightseers, with one of the group collapsing from a suspected heart attack.

Elsewhere, English Heritage carried out a roll call and established that three construction employees, last known to be working in the deepest tunnel, called Dumpy, were missing.

Additional firefighters from Whitfield and St.Margaret’s were sent to the scene to assist Dover’s crews with a search and rescue mission, tackling the fire and managing the crowds of visitors.

Tony Scott, Watch Manager and Exercise Director said: "The exercise was a success and praise must be given to both English Heritage staff and firefighters participating in this exercise – they all coped extremely well with a multitude of different challenges.

"We found it hugely useful to take part in an exercise like this. Benefits included being able to test our contingency plans for incidents like this, to ensure that they are fit for purpose and gaining practical experience, including awareness of working with other agencies, like English Heritage."