It’s all in the planning as Fairford gets set for feast of flying It will soon be time to look to the skies with the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) – the world’s largest military airshow - on the horizon.

The event over the weekend of July 17th and 18th takes many months of planning, some of which is the responsibility of Gloucestershire County Council’s Emergency Management Service (EMS).

With more than 170,000 visitors enjoying the airshow over the two days, it’s crucial to ensure that plans are in place and everyone involved is fully prepared should an emergency situation arise. With 300 aircraft, two miles of static displays, activities and exhibitions, every effort is made by the organisers to ensure the safety of participants and visitors at the show. Gloucestershire’s local authorities support the organisers and the emergency services in planning for and responding should an emergency occur.

Around 100 staff from the county and district councils, including Gloucestershire Highways staff, will be on standby during the weekend along with many county council accredited volunteers from voluntary organisations. These people would help support anyone affected by an emergency at the airshow.

This could include providing rest centres, supporting people who might be evacuated and cannot return to their cars. This could include finding alternative transport for them and looking after their general welfare.

The county council’s Emergency Management Service also works closely with the police and local authorities in neighbouring counties Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, particularly planning for issues around access and traffic flow.

Iain Bryson from Gloucestershire County Council’s Emergency Management Service, said: “We’ve been working closely with Cotswold District Council planning for the Tattoo and attending meetings with all the organisations who would be involved in any type of emergency.

“Staff from the county council and Cotswold District Council will be in the Emergency Control Room at Fairford throughout the weekend and in the week leading up to the Tattoo, we’ll be involved in a more ‘hands- on’ exercise at RAF Fairford that allows us to test out all of our planning. We’ll also run a ‘call out exercise’ to test all of ours contact and notification procedures.”

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth, said: “The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford is a fantastic event enjoyed by many thousands of visitors every year. The organisers do everything possible to ensure it runs smoothly and that’s crucial with so many people and aircraft coming together in one place.

“The county council’s Emergency Management Service, the volunteers it helps co-ordinate and the district councils provide important support to the event organisers, working closely with them before and during the airshow. It’s vital that we plan for emergencies so that we know we could cope in the unlikely event that something was to happen for real.”

Tickets for the airshow are only available in advance. More information is available at www.airtattoo.com