The Shire of Denmark and police from Albany and Denmark will be conducting an emergency exercise in Denmark on Saturday 30 October 2010.

The exercise will involve a mock evacuation of 100 residential properties. The residents involved will be approached by police in person prior to the day, and the community should not be alarmed if they see more police activity in the area during the morning of Saturday 30 October 2010. At no time will residents in Denmark, including those involved in the exercise, be asked to physically leave their properties.

The exercise will help test methods used to evacuate residents and provide information to assist determine the amount of time it will take to evacuate residents in urban and semi-rural settings in the event of a real emergency.

Great Southern District Office Superintendent Dene Leekong said it was important for police to look at different ways that evacuations can be approached to ensure the best methods are used in a real emergency.

“Evacuations can prove to be difficult, especially in semi-rural settings where there’s a greater distance to cover and supporting resources take longer to arrive,” he said.

“The outcomes of this exercise will help police across the state in regional areas and also provide an opportunity for the Shire of Denmark to test local emergency management arrangements.”