Firefighters put their skills to the test in a fire exercise at the historic Knole in Sevenoaks, which is home to internationally significant and extremely rare artefacts.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) hosted the training event at the National Trust site yesterday (21 March 2024).

Ten fire engines, two bulk water carriers, a height vehicle, and fire officers took part in the mock operation at the former archbishop’s palace just off Sevenoaks High Street, alongside Knole’s staff.

The aim was to practice operational processes and procedures around tackling a blaze at the 600-year-old building, with a focus of minimising damage and salvaging irreplaceable artwork and seventeenth century textile collections.

Steve Burwell, KFRS’ Group Manager for Building Safety and Customer Engagement, said: “We’re fortunate to have many historical sites here in Kent and Medway, but older buildings such as Knole can pose structural and operational challenges in the event of a fire.

“We’re very mindful of the historical significance of these types of building, and exercises like this are really important to make sure we’re always prepared to respond swiftly and effectively in an emergency.”

Yesterday’s scenario also gave the National Trust team an opportunity to rehearse their own emergency response.

Hannah Kay, General Manager at Knole, said: “This exercise has been a valuable opportunity for National Trust specialist staff to plan their response to an emergency requiring the salvage of precious collections at Knole.

“Working in partnership with KFRS we have reviewed and further developed our detailed emergency and salvage plans and had the opportunity to test our decision making, reactions and response live on site.”

KFRS hosts regular training exercises at locations of interest across the county, often involving multiple partner agencies. Previous places include Canterbury Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral and Dreamland Margate.

Steve Lewis, KFRS’ Resilience Manager and chair of the exercise planning group (EPG), said: “Operational training exercises are a key part of our learning and development, and give us the opportunity to trial our procedures and capabilities alongside partner agencies and organisations, at sites of potential risk across the county.”