Calvia stages emergency fire exercise

Calvia's emergency service swung in to action yesterday as part of a training exercise. The Hotel Melia del Mar in Illetas was used for the simulated fire emergency which was set off at 11.30. While neither the police forces not the fire and rescue services had prior knowledge to the location of the exercise, clients in the hotel had been informed that the training operation was to take place and that they would be part of the “cast.” Head of the Calvia Local Police, José Antonio Navarro, explained yesterday that such operations are carried out on a frequent basis in order to make sure that the security services know exactly how to react in any sort of emergency involving large numbers of people. However this year, with the island being unusually dry because of the drought, the threat of fire is higher than usual. Yesterday's operation was described as a success, although, as is one of the main intentions, new areas which can be improved are always spotted. However, the Calvia emergency services are confident they can efficiently evacuate a large hotel within ten minutes.