Manx Care recently led an emergency response exercise that looked to test government-wide incident strategies.

Named ‘Exercise Athena’, the exercise saw services from Manx Care, Isle of Man Government departments and external agencies (both on and off island) work collaboratively to respond to a hypothetical life-threatening scenario.

The island's hazardous materials and chemical/nuclear explosives response capabilities were tested, along with the island’s ability to manage mass casualty and fatality events.

A collaborative ‘hot debrief’ where departments and services share areas that went well during the incident response, and identify areas for improvement
A collaborative ‘hot debrief’ where departments and services share areas that went well during the incident response, and identify areas for improvement (Manx Care)

The exercise implemented a casualty simulation system and held table top discussions amongst leading figures.

Commanders also had the opportunity to provide press interviews, manage high-stress situations involving actors, and reach out to external agencies both on and off the island for scientific advice and guidance.

Communication between different areas occurred via phone, Microsoft Teams, radios, 'runners', and in-person briefings.

Natasha McKenzie, emergency planning manager for Manx Care who led the exercise, commented: ‘Leveraging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and incidents both on and off the island, Manx Care has redeveloped its incident response plans to enhance efficiency across all levels of command. Exercise Athena enabled rigorous testing of these plans in realistic, high-intensity scenarios to validate their effectiveness.’

Exercise Facilitator Joanne Standish, supporting the Police as they test the running of the Casualty Bureau
Exercise Facilitator Joanne Standish, supporting the Police as they test the running of the Casualty Bureau (Manx Care)

Feedback on the exercise to Manx Care, both internally and externally, has been described as ‘overwhelmingly positive’.

Daniel Davies, CEO of the Department of Home Affairs, said: ‘We were really pleased to be able to work with Manx Care for this major incident exercise. It's important that we regularly test our response to an incident of this scale across all parts of the organisation.’

Teresa Cope, CEO of Manx Care, added: ‘This was an excellent opportunity to test our plans and identify areas for further improvement. I am grateful to everyone involved in the exercise.

‘The year-on-year progress in our Manx Care emergency preparedness, resilience and response functions is clearly evident.’