Steelhenge supports recent Foot and Mouth Disease exercise for UK government agency Animal Health

Jan. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Steelhenge Consulting, a leading provider of crisis management consultancy and crisis exercising, has supported a major two day national exercise for Animal Health, the government's executive agency responsible for ensuring the health and welfare of farmed animals in GB. The exercise was designed to rehearse the Government's ability to deal with a significant outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. For more information, visit www.steelhenge.co.uk or call 0845 094 2117.

"Steelhenge has extensive experience of running major crisis exercises, and we were pleased to be able to draw upon that experience to support Animal Health in the planning of such a major crisis management exercise ," said Isobel Nicholas, Director of Communications for Steelhenge. "Animal Health's primary role is to implement government policy on preventing and managing serious outbreaks of animal disease, through which they support the farming industry, protect the welfare of animals and safeguard public health." Isobel explained.

"Steelhenge's role was to provide support for the co-ordination and management of this complex multi agency exercise," Isobel continued. "We also provided simulated media to enable Animal Health, Defra and the devolved administrations involved in the exercise to rehearse their external crisis communications, including to social media injects. The exercise formed part of a planned cycle of exercises to review and check the Government's contingency plans and policies for the control and eradication of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease to ensure a current state of readiness and resilience to an outbreak and identify any areas for improvement. This is also in compliance with EU regulations."

"Large-scale national exercises such as these are important to ensure the many stakeholders involved in the government response to major a crisis are able to work together and  co-ordinate their efforts quickly to minimise the impact of an outbreak." When asked how the exercise went, Isobel replied; "The exercise was very successful and fully met its objectives. Planning and conducting such a large exercise is a huge undertaking, with so many exercise players and stakeholders; Animal Health delivered a first class exercise.  It is due to our experience of coordinating exercises with this level of complexity and challenge that Steelhenge has developed its excellent reputation and why we were able to support Animal Health's exercise so capably."

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About Steelhenge
Steelhenge Consulting provides end to end business continuity, crisis management and emergency planning services to a broad range of corporate clients internationally, as well as to UK Government Departments, local authorities, the European Commission and NGOs. Steelhenge also delivers specialist services in energy resilience, utility resilience, ICT continuity management and sports event emergency management. Steelhenge has particular expertise in the preparation of people to perform effectively in implementing crisis management, business continuity and recovery plans, and in communicating both internally and externally with stakeholders during a crisis.

Established in 2004, with offices in London and Salisbury, Steelhenge is the UK's leader in the delivery of bespoke emergency response training and incident management exercises for staff at all levels from the strategic through the tactical to the operational.