Exeter College students take part in MOD training exercise, Operation 'Short Sermon'

On Wednesday 2 September, five Exeter College media students took part in a training exercise designed to test Plymouth City Council and the MOD’s contingency planning.

The exercise, codenamed Short Sermon, tested the reactions of these organisations and local authorities in the event of nuclear reactor accident.

During the day around 27 separate groups, including students from the College, took part in playing and responding at operational, tactical and strategic levels across Exeter, Plymouth and Truro.

The students worked alongside trained professionals as they put everything they have learnt from their studies into practice in what was a very fast-paced and convincingly realistic scenario.

Students from the College attended press conferences with senior officials from the Royal Navy, Devon and Cornwall Police and local authorities, as well as contributing towards a simulated social media frenzy through a well-designed mock version of Twitter.

Katie Herridge, a second year FdA student studying Journalism and Practical Media at Exeter College said:

"It was great experience for what it would be like working as a journalist in a crisis situation like this. Today has reminded me what all of the hours of hard-work and studying will be for in time.”