EXCLUSIVE

by political editor Paul Francis

pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk

Fire chiefs have raised questions over how they would cope with a major incident at a lorry park planned by Kent County Council to deal with Operation Stack.

The concerns appear in a previously unpublished report commissioned by the county council to examine the impact of a lorry park.

The report by consultants Jacobs was released to the KM Group under the Freedom of Information Act.

In a chapter outlining the fire safety strategy, Kent Fire and Rescue Service says the scheme presents a unique level of risk and tackling a major incident may prove 'unmanageable' if the design of the park remains unchanged.

It also reveals it could take nearly half-an-hour before firefighters were able to tackle any incident and the service's capability would be severely stretched should more than 10 lorries be involved in a fire.

The county council is examining fresh options for a low cost, no frills scheme to cope with Operation Stack. It says the 1,700 page impact assessment, completed two years ago, is effectively out-of-date.

However, the report underlines the complex logistical problems the county council is likely to face in building any sort of temporary lorry park on its preferred site off the M20 at Aldington near Ashford.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) was asked to comment on what might happen in the event of a serious incident and the strategy proposed.

Its 12-page detailed response – which was incorporated into the draft report – raised concerns about whether such an incident could be successfully handled and the wide-ranging steps needed to minimise the risks.

It said: "The proposals for an Operation Stack lorry park present a unique level of risk to the KFRS and the potential for a major incident is clear where the life risk may be considered as high.

"The likelihood exists that a developing fire of the nature identified in the Jacobs fire engineer's report may be unmanageable on KFRS' arrival if the design proposals remain as they are."

It goes on to say that lorries trying to escape "may greatly hinder access routes into the site for KFRS vehicles" and that "access roads from the motorways in around the park may become clogged very quickly."

In another comment, it suggests the assessment by Jacobs of how a fire may spread "may be beyond the capability of KFRS on primary arrival and the likelihood is that any such fire may continue to spread unchecked to involve a large number of other vehicles, depending on fire location and wind direction."

It outlines a series of measures that might be needed to mitigate the impact.

• Kent Fire and Rescue Service was asked to discuss the report but declined to do so, saying that it was a draft report and there would be no merit in answering questions about a scheme that may not happen.