On the evening of Wednesday 25th July crews from Much Wenlock and Shrewsbury took part in a small scale drill to test the existing contingency plan in place for Willey Hall.
Willey hall is a large country estate house which is still in private ownership, and still lived in by Lady Forrester.
Prior to the evening members from the Group Support Teams (GST) had visited Lady Forrester on a few occasions, to discuss the issue of water supplies and salvage. It was identified that although there was a large lake in close proximity to the house, getting a pump close enough to the water would prove difficult.
GST then worked with the Estate Manager and Lady Forrester in making a specific track and landing / turning area for the pumping units in a specific location as to gain maximum benefit and ease of getting to the water. The contingency plan was then revisited and amended to include the new track and actions required.
Crews were tasked with supplying water from various options onsite until the arrival and deployment of the Light Pumping Unit into open water located about 100 meters away from the house. These options included the large swimming pool and private hydrants on site.
The evening was a success with crews managing to keep water to both a main jet and hosereel for the duration of the drill. They also gained knowledge of the risk as well as knowledge and understanding of the Light Pumping Unit and its capabilities.
