A MAJOR European Union disaster exercise will be staged in Hampshire in September.

It has the potential to be the largest emergency exercise involving international co-operation ever held.

Organisers are now warning that due to the scale of the operation, it may lead to disruptions in different parts of the county. The M3 services at Fleet will be particularly affected as it will be used as a strategic holding post for international responders. Rescue teams from across Europe and beyond will descend on the county for the largest urban search and rescue (USAR) exercise ever held in the UK.

Hampshire firefighters will be joined by several UK fire service teams as well as specialist international teams from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Spain and the United Arab Emirates for Exercise Orion.

Members of Hampshire Constabulary, South Central Ambulance and Fareham Borough Council will also be taking part.

Running over 56 hours from September 7 to 9 at Fort Widley, just outside Portsmouth, the scenario is that a major earthquake has struck the UK overwhelming the country’s emergency services.

As a result, the cabinet office issues a request for assistance from counterparts in Europe through the Monitoring and Information Centre in Brussels.

Working as one consolidated group, they will test how European teams operate under the UK command structure in a time of crisis, with the exercise being overseen by delegates from up to 30 countries.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s urban search and rescue team has in the past been deployed to earthquake disaster zones including Iran, Indonesia and Haiti.

With this operational experience, as well as excellent training facilities at Fort Widley, the brigade will lead the operational side of the exercise.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Peter Crook said: “Although a large UK earthquake is highly unlikely, it will provide scenarios that will stretch UK capabilities, experience and expertise. It will undoubtedly provide many learning opportunities.”

There will be more than 500 staff working in and around Fort Widley, with 100 support staff behind the scenes as safety staff, casualties, drivers, and observers.