In pictures: Ironbridge Power Station hosts fire service training drama

The site along with its landmark cooling towers sits derelict, collecting dust and waiting to be demolished.

But in the mean time it is serving a very important purpose in helping the county's firefighters in improving their skills to take out into the real word.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has been using the vast site over recent months for a series of exercise drills, and on Tuesday between 30 and 50 firefighters from different stations around the county descended on the power station.

Blue flashing lights filled the air and any passers by would have presumed it was a real life drill.

Ideal

A number of crews arrived on scene after being informed of a scenario whereby nine people had been injured in an underground explosion.

It happened as the power station was being decommissioned, and fire fighters had to get them casualties out of a basement passage that was underneath a basement.

The underground area was filled with thick smoke to make into a real life situation, as the fire fighters went through the correct procedures to get the caualties out.

Area manager for the service, Simon Hardiman, said the surroundings of the power station were ideal for the service to improve their skills.

He said: "We have used it for the last few months, and we have one exercise roughly every month across the county.

"Here we have the facilities like we are doing today which puts the officers in a real life situation, and helps them develop skills that they can take back into real life situations.

"What we were looking to achieve is to test our procedures and policies and that they work properly.

"The nine casualties involved are of the proper weight of an average person, so it is as real as we can make it.

"The situation is a de-commissioning stage and an explosion has gone off.

"When crews arrive all they are told is that there has been an explosion and there are casualties.

"When they arrive on site that is when the exercise begins and all the correct procedures take place."

The firefighters arrived and immediately set about doing everything they would if a real explosion would have taken place.

Breathing apparatus is put on, hoses are prepared and the officers are briefed on what they have to do and where to go.

Lessons

Officers in attendance came from Cleobury Mortimer, Bridgnorth, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Wellington and Telford.

Mr Hardiman said lessons will be learned from the operation where they can be.

He added: "What we do is not just test our procedures, but if there is anything that we see as wrong or needs improving, then we can address it for other exercises that we have."

The power station isn't the only well known location that is used by the service, in a bid to get their officers in tip, top condition for the real world.

RAF Donnington and other military bases are used by the service, and used for cross emergency service training.

Cross border training is also a big thing for service, with planned exercises coming up in the future.

Mr Hardiman added: "We used a number of other sites are used, including military bases where we carry out different exercises.

"We also do cross border stuff in Hereford and Worcester, Cheshire, North Wales and Mid and West Wales.

"By doing that and having these real life exercises we can then make sure that we are prepared for the incidents that happen close to borders.

"And by having people looking at what we are doing at exercises like the Ironbridge, shows the public the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make fire fighters prepared for real life situations."