The Salvation Army has recognised those who took part in Europe's biggest disaster training exercise in Dartford

A reception to thank volunteers and helpers for their work during the exercise and their commitment to helping people across the country was held at our Church and charity's headquarters. 

Our teams of volunteers man our emergency support vehicles during major incidents such as fires or floods. They provide pastoral support to those affected and emergency service personnel, as well as refreshments.

For four days in February, 75 volunteers worked on the training event, called Exercise Unified Response (EUR), at an old warehouse in Dartford, Kent. The scenario was a simulated building collapse onto a London underground station - tube carriages were used in the warehouse to make the scene as realistic as possible.

Our teams manned two of The Salvation Army’s emergency relief mobile canteens and three tents as well as provided support for casualties and personnel in the rest centres and Humanitarian Assistance Centre on site. 

Major Maureen Hepburn, the Emergency Services Officer for The Salvation Army, said that The Salvation Army remains committed to serving others affected in emergencies.

“Our volunteers put in a great deal of time to run this exercise and today's event was to thank them for their commitment. We have teams of officers and volunteers around the country trained and ready to respond if and when needed, whether that emergency is large or small, the people affected and others who respond are who we stretch out our hand to.

“We believe that the support we can offer is holistic, taking care of mind, body and spirit and we will continue to be present in emergency situations such as this for as long as we’re needed.”