Gallery: Shard Evacuated In Fire Drill

Andy Thornley
By Andy Thornley Last edited 135 months ago
Gallery: Shard Evacuated In Fire Drill
Ambulance staff plan their tactics
 Firefighters joke with each other
Firefighters joke with each other
Firefighters carrying hoses
Firefighters carrying hoses
Firefighters in breathing apparatus
Firefighters in breathing apparatus
Firefighters in breathing apparatus arrive
Firefighters in breathing apparatus arrive
Firefighters in breathing apparatus talk tactics
Firefighters in breathing apparatus talk tactics
Firefighters arrive
Firefighters arrive
Fire engines parked up beside London Bridge Station
Fire engines parked up beside London Bridge Station
Firefighters in breathing apparatus arrive
Firefighters in breathing apparatus arrive
A police officer walks beside London Fire Brigade's Command Unit
A police officer walks beside London Fire Brigade's Command Unit
Firefighters travel down an escalator
Firefighters travel down an escalator

When you're 1016ft above the London skyline, you'd want to know that should anything go wrong, you'll be able to get back on terra firma quickly and safely.

Which is precisely why the emergency services spent yesterday afternoon practicing getting hundreds of volunteers from the top of the Shard back down to earth in a mock incident.

The scenario was this: a fire in an electrical plant room had knocked out power to the lifts. With 300 people stuck, London Fire Brigade used the Shard's 'fire lift' to safely bring them all back to earth.

Passers-by looked on as 15 fire engines and 75 fire-fighters rolled up. Despite signs explaining that their presence was as part of a drill, many asked with concern what was happening.

The drill is just one of many exercises that London Fire Brigade undertake to test the resilience of incident and evacuation plans.

Last Updated 10 December 2012