Simulated smoke, fire crews and patrol boats at North Quay Marina from 18:00 on Thursday 24 September. A two hour exercise, and no live fire is used.
Anyone near Weymouth’s inner harbour on Thursday evening will see fire engines, crews and smoke around the pontoons at North Quay. It is not a real fire. Weymouth Harbour is running a multi-agency emergency response exercise there from 18:00 on Thursday 24 September, and it is expected to last about two hours.
The harbour authority set the detail out in a notice published on its own website on 23 September. The exercise simulates a vessel fire and a casualty incident on Alpha Pontoon in North Quay Marina. It is being run in partnership with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service “and other partner agencies”.
What people may notice
The harbour lists five things the public may see while the exercise is running:
- emergency service vehicles and personnel within the marina area
- simulated smoke from a vessel on Alpha Pontoon
- increased activity from harbour staff and responding agencies
- temporary access restrictions around the exercise area
- harbour patrol vessels operating in support of the exercise
It also sets out four things that are not happening:
- no live fire will be used
- all smoke will be generated using approved simulation equipment
- the exercise is conducted under controlled conditions, with safety as the primary consideration
- marina operations will continue wherever possible
The notice adds that the “Emergency Services control room are aware of the exercise and what’s entailed”. It does not ask members of the public to do anything.
On why it is being held, the harbour says the exercise “provides an important opportunity for emergency services and harbour staff to practise their response to a realistic maritime emergency, helping to strengthen joint working arrangements and improve emergency preparedness within Weymouth Harbour”.
Where Alpha Pontoon is
North Quay is the west bank of the inner harbour, upstream of the Town Bridge and opposite the Hope Square side. The harbour runs pontoon berths in two places, North Quay and Westwey Road, and the North Quay pontoons have water, lighting, electricity at each finger berth, bins, and toilet and shower facilities. Each pontoon gatehouse carries a plan of the berths and emergency contact details. (Weymouth Harbour, annual berths)
In total the harbour berths more than 400 vessels, including boats up to 20 metres long. That is the scale an evening like this is meant to prepare for: a fire on one boat, in a packed basin, with other boats moored alongside it.
Why a boat fire is the scenario
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service publishes its own guidance on fire risk on boats. It says many fires happen through human error, poor installation of equipment and, on occasion, dangerous practices. Boats carry diesel, petrol and LPG close to combustible construction materials and ignition sources. The service puts electrical problems among the top three causes of boat fires.
The hazards it lists for owners to watch are loose connections, worn or cracked wire insulation, exposed battery terminals, unsuitable or poorly maintained appliances, poor fusing and defective breakers, and damaged shore line cables, plugs and sockets. It notes that vibration, humidity, temperature swings, moisture and salt all work against a boat’s electrics.
The harbour itself raised a related point last month. On 19 August it issued a notice on lithium iron phosphate batteries, pointing berth holders to guidance from the Cruising Association and the Inland Waterways Association. Its warning was that these batteries are not a simple drop-in replacement for lead acid ones. Existing charging and electrical systems may need upgrading, a battery management system is essential, and incorrect installation can cause equipment damage, system failures and increased fire risk.
What it means for you
If you live near the harbour or are in town on Thursday evening, expect emergency vehicles, personnel and visible smoke around North Quay Marina from about 6pm. The smoke is simulated. The harbour has said the emergency services control room already knows the exercise is taking place.
Access around the exercise area will be restricted for a time, so allow for that if you are walking through or heading for a berth. Harbour patrol boats will be working in support of the exercise, and marina operations otherwise continue as normal.
If you keep a boat in the harbour, both the fire service page and the harbour’s August notice are worth a read before winter. Most of what they ask for is a check rather than a job: cables, connections, terminals, fuel and gas stowage, and proper advice before rewiring anything. The harbour office is at 13 Custom House Quay and takes calls on 01305 838422.
For anyone driving in, the town’s harbourside car parks and charges are set out in our guide to parking in Dorset, and current closures and travel information are on the Dorset roadworks and travel page.
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