Emergency personnel from as far away as Whangārei descended on Waipapa on Monday night after a spill of a highly toxic chemical left multiple store workers dead and injured.
While the scene may have looked alarming to anyone passing by, it was, fortunately, an exercise designed to test the skills of firefighters and medics in case they ever need to respond to the real thing.
It also aimed to hone cooperation between different services with Fire and Emergency NZ, St John Ambulance, police and the Far North District Council taking part.
The exercise was organised by Kerikeri Fire Brigade and held at Mitre 10 Kerikeri, with store staff volunteering to play the part of chemical poisoning victims — a brave role, because for most it involved decontamination under a fire hose after being dragged out of the building by volunteer firefighters clad in chemical splash suits.
About 40 firefighters took part from Kerikeri, Paihia, Kaikohe, Kawakawa and Whangārei, along with at least six St John responders. A hazmat mobile command unit was also dispatched from Whangārei.
