The Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) spearheaded a Multi-Agency Fire Emergency Simulation titled “Caught by Surprise: Fire Outbreak during Camp Siesta” on May 21st, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Fort Charles. The exercise was part of an international study programme emphasizing “disaster preparedness, applied emergency management, and community resilience.”

Conducted in collaboration with Widener University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Utah Valley University, NEMA, the Ministry of Health, the St. Kitts-Nevis Red Cross Society, and other partners, the simulation replicated a sudden fire during an afternoon camp rest period. Participants managed “evacuation procedures, injuries, smoke inhalation, missing person accountability, panic management, and emergency public communications.”

NDMD officials noted that the exercise aimed to provide “practical exposure to emergency response operations while improving inter-agency coordination, operational readiness, and public safety capacity” among students, volunteers, and responders. Key activities included fire response coordination, first aid and CPR, inter-agency communications, and psychosocial support.

Members of the public were advised that emergency vehicle movements and simulated casualty management were part of the planned exercise and should not have caused alarm. The event formed a component of a two-week programme designed to “strengthen the learning process, disaster preparedness, public health awareness, emergency response training, and institutional collaboration” across St. Kitts and Nevis.