Queenstown Lakes District Council emergency management officer Trevor Andrews (left), with corporate services general manager Meaghan Miller and Otago Rural Fire Authority Southern Lakes deputy rural fire officer Jamie Cowan debrief following a multi-agency Civil Defence exercise in Queenstown on Wednesday.
About 50 people from the council, New Zealand Fire Service, Otago Rural Fire Service, New Zealand Police, St John, the Southern District Health Board, Lakes District Hospital, Public Health South, Skyline, Queenstown Airport and Red Cross were involved in the exercise, which tested the readiness, co-ordination and communication of staff in a major emergency.
The exercise was based on the scenario of an emergency response to an overturned tanker which ignited and set fire to surrounding land near Queenstown, causing multiple fatalities and serious injuries and the loss of 20 properties.
Ms Miller said the exercise was ''great'' and ''very realistic''.
''I have a lot of confidence in our staff and in particular in our highly experienced emergency services in this area - it's very much a collaboration.''
