Preparing for the worst doesn’t get much more extreme and elaborate than this.

More than 200 emergency services personnel descended upon Fiordland recently for one of the largest Search and Rescue Exercises the region has seen.

The evaluated SARex was organised by Southern District Police SAR staff, part of the Nationally Significant - (link is external)Whakarauora Tangata series(link is external), and was all about strengthening the connections Police have with the many other emergency services organisations, volunteers, and stakeholders in the sector.

At the helm of this mammoth organisational effort was Sergeant Nathan White, who was not only tasked with bringing all these people together, but to come up with a disastrous scenario that would put them all to the test in the most realistic way possible.

"Victims" being tended to on the shore. Photo: NZ Police

“We based the scenario on a cruise ship that runs into a bit of trouble, and then a forced evacuation,” says Nathan. “Things started off contained, but quickly spread out when passengers made their way off the boat into some extremely remote and rugged areas.

"Very suddenly, our Incident Management Team was faced with the problem of dealing with people in the water, people that were injured, a ship on fire, a biological disaster with heavy oils and contaminants entering the water and tourists with no identification entering New Zealand for the first time, landing at sites all over the district that hadn’t been cleared by immigration or customs. That’s a lot to deal with."  

It was an elaborate set-up created to test every element of the resources that each emergency services agency brought to the party.

A RNZAF NH90 helicopter from No.3 Squadron was used as part of the recent Search and Rescue exercise. Photo: Land Search and Rescue NZ/Facebook

“We had helicopters, the coastguard, surf lifesaving, harbour masters, land searchers, communications specialists, all coordinating to locate our passengers.

"When the teams arrived back on land, we had an on-site set-up to manage their reconciliation, medical triage and welfare needs, which used members from Police, Emergency Management Southland, Red Cross and St John. All groups bringing their unique skills to the fore.”

Everybody involved needed to bring their A-game too, with more than 250 imaginary passengers spread out across Lake Te Anau and its shores, some with medical issues, and some in situations that would test even the most experienced SAR specialists.

There were plenty of volunteers playing the parts of distressed and lost victims, and 20 footballs were employed as passengers left floating on the lake’s surface, bobbing up and down, and strategically placed on the shoreline. Numbered, named and waiting to be found.

“We placed key information on some of those balls too, designed to assist with the wider search efforts and to encourage clear communication with the Incident Management Team who were coordinating the efforts from a base.”

The Incident Management Team (IMT) coordinate the response. Photo: Land Search and Rescue NZ/Facebook

The scenario was a success and Nathan was happy with everybody’s efforts but, more importantly, with how everyone came together to strengthen relationships and to learn.

“When something significant like this does end up happening, it quickly becomes apparent that you need a lot of resources,” says Nathan. “Something like this gives us the opportunity to work side-by-side, familiarise ourselves with what we’re capable of and, of course, meet face-to-face.

"It just builds everyone’s trust and confidence in each other, and what we can achieve together.”