Earlier this month, UK ISAR hosted its latest deployment exercise, Kinverstan 7, across a variety of sites in Staffordshire. The exercise brought together members from across all 14 UK Fire & Rescue Services alongside canine teams, veterinary support, the USAR Medical Team (UMT), and international delegates from Kenya and Tajikistan. Representatives from the FCDO were also in attendance.
The aim was to provide a realistic overseas-style deployment for a Heavy USAR Team, including mobilisation, Base of Operations (BoO) build, full demobilisation, and a series of challenging rescue scenarios. Locations ranged from a disused farmhouse and woodland camps to caves, farmyards, and a scout camp, each chosen to reflect the conditions and unpredictability of a real international deployment.
Aims of the Exercise
The training focused on:
• Testing the mobilisation of a heavy team to an overseas scenario.
• Establishing a BoO with full logistics and command support.
• Delivering the BoO experience for new members.
• Practical logistics, tasking, and scenarios.
• Development workshops covering new tools, kit, and cache familiarisation.
Training Scenarios
The teams faced a series of realistic, hands-on rescue challenges designed to push skills, teamwork, and decision-making under pressure:
Scenario 1 – Kinver Farm Shop
A farm hit by an earthquake left workers trapped by hay bales, trailers, and machinery. Casualties included both live actors and dummies, requiring technical rescues using search cameras, lifting, and digging.
Scenario 2 – William’s Farm
An aftershock at a farm silo created multiple casualties, from a fall victim with spinal injuries to an entombed casualty in a collapsed outbuilding. Confined-space limitations and restricted anchor points meant teams had to adapt to challenging conditions.
Scenario 3 – The Wood Yard
A worker was trapped between timber stacks, with the onset of crush syndrome. With no Paratech equipment available, teams had to improvise with timber on-site to build lifting systems.
Scenario 4 – Clean Breach Workshop
Following lessons from previous exercises, this session explored alternative methods to remove clean breach plugs, testing stitch cutting and search camera capability.
Scenario 5 – Royce’s Cave
Teams entered unstable caves to rescue a family reportedly sourcing water from a well. With limited shoring materials, crews used local timber to stabilise areas. Casualties ranged from live actors trapped under sandstone and trees to entombed victims requiring innovative rigging and anchor solutions.
Final Exercise – Woodside Farm
The culmination of the deployment was a complex barn collapse scenario with multiple casualties, shoring challenges, and a simulated vehicle entrapment requiring amputation. A simulated aftershock added further complexity, trapping UMT medical personnel and sparking a crisis management inject.
Workshops & Development
Alongside rescues, the exercise featured development sessions including:
• Logistics management.
• Familiarisation with new tools and equipment.
• Cache 2 kit familiarisation.
• Technical skill refreshers.
Collaboration & Success
Kinverstan 7 brought together a wide range of expertise: directing staff from Kent FRS, experienced ISAR responders from across the UK, and valuable contributions from canine and medical teams. International delegates added an important dimension, sharing knowledge and observing UK operational methods.
The exercise was hailed as a great success, with all objectives achieved, valuable lessons learned, and team capability strengthened for future deployments.
