Firefighters had to rescue a man trapped underneath a heavy goods vehicle as chlorine leaked around him at Kemsley paper mill.

Thankfully the drama wasn’t real but a part of a training exercise to test crews and mill staff response to a chemical incident at the site off Swale Way.

The staged scenario saw four fire engines from Sittingbourne, Sheppey, Faversham and Medway, along with Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s (KFRS) incident command unit and around 20 firefighters sent to the plant.

Wearing protection suits and using specialist detection equipment, the decontamination team rehearsed how they would make the scene safe by decontaminating the area and safely disposing of the spilt chemicals.

The exercise lasted for two hours and saw air bags being used to release the casualty from beneath the trailer.

Five other mock casualties were led or carried to safety suffering from nausea and breathing difficulties.

KFRS station manager Stuart Beadle, who was responsible for the exercise, said: “To make it as realistic as possible, crews and staff were unaware of what they would face, as the exact nature of the incident was only revealed on the day.

“This meant they had to react as they would to a real-life situation allowing us to test our operational plans and Kemsley Paper Mill to test their emergency and incident control procedures, which included a full site evacuation.”

Site facilities engineer Jonathan Hunt said: “We have an active firefighting and emergency response team on site and our priorities are to ensure the safety of our staff, contractors and the general public.

“Our team are well practised in their strategic management of incidents but it’s a massive benefit for us to work closely with KFRS sharing knowledge and putting our well-rehearsed emergency procedures into place.”

Mr Beadle added: “KFRS is called to a wide range of incidents, not just house fires and car crashes, and this exercise has given us the opportunity to prepare for a more unusual scenario.

“Working in partnership with the mill ensures we are able to set effective communication channels to resolve incidents quickly and smoothly should the worst ever happen. We’re grateful to them for facilitating this training event.”