An oil dock explosion leading to deaths, serious injuries and an oil spillage was the simulated scenario faced by Regiment soldiers during a disaster relief exercise.The fictitious calamity saw Premier Paula Cox, Governor George Fergusson and top Ministers and civil servants working on the response along with the soldiers.A top British Army officer praised the Regiment after watching the exercise over the weekend, saying it has “much to be proud of.”Regiment spokesman Captain Ben Beasley explained: “The training programme was split into three phases, starting with a tabletop exercise at Government House involving Governor George Fergusson, Premier Paula Cox, Service Chiefs, Government Ministers and senior civil servants.“Overnight on Friday, Regiment troops practised their primary security role, moving in and establishing a presence at the Ferry Reach area and conducting observation patrols throughout the night.“The exercise climaxed with the joint services responding to an explosion at the main oil terminal; this required them to lead their troops while having to deal with deaths and serious injury, as well as oil spillage into the sea and problems at the airport due to clouds of thick smoke.”Captain Beasley added: “En route, the soldiers were briefed on a scenario involving heightened levels of security due to a shortage of fuel reserves across the Island. Groups were faced with several different tasks ranging from protecting certain key points in the area to setting up observation posts to assess and evaluate other potentially threatening groups.”The simulated scenarios allowed troops to practice maintaining public security while wearing specialist equipment such as helmets and 6ft shields. Specialists from sections including medics, signals, motorised transport, caterers and boat troop worked to support the exercise.Captain Beasley said: “Overall, this weekend was a prime showcase of the talents of many committed, interdependent individuals who make up the members of the Bermuda Regiment.“Many of the younger soldiers stated that ‘coming away from a weekend such as this is a definite encouragement. We see people actually demonstrating values they impress upon us like teamwork and cooperation rather than just speaking to us about them. And we also gain the opportunity to develop our own skills in these areas, which is really personally beneficial’.”He added: “The exercise was viewed and evaluated by the UKs Assistant Military Attaché in Washington Colonel Richard Smith. During the debrief on the exercise he said ‘the Bermuda Regiment has much to be proud of; this weekend you have demonstrated your ability to respond professionally to a variety of situations’. He also spoke on the Regiment’s willingness to support the other services in whatever capacity they need, whether it is providing an offensive force, transport, or routine manpower and that the Regiment should be proud of their adaptability.”Regiment training officer Major Martin Wyer said the exercise was “long and tiring” but “very worthwhile.”He explained: “These kind of exercises serve to underline the vital role the Regiment would play if the worst happened. We provide an extra force of highly capable and well-trained men and women, who can perform well under testing conditions in a variety of roles. In these times of limited budgets, it proves our versatility and our ability to support the other emergency services on the Island.”The Regiment is looking for volunteers in all departments for Recruit Camp 2013 and Captain Beasley said: “In return for your service you will receive numerous opportunities for travel, acquiring qualifications, testing yourself to your limits and competitive pay”.More information is available from Major Warren Furbert at wfurbert@gov.bm or 238-1045.