Azores Civil Protection participates in CASCADE'19, the largest drill held in Portugal
The Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA) begins today the participation in the European CASCADE'19 drill, the largest ever held in Portugal, which runs until June 1.
This drill will test and train the international response in case of activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as well as the internal response to highly complex emergencies that may occur in cascade.
In this context, adverse weather conditions will be simulated in Aveiro, while an earthquake will hit the districts of Évora, Lisbon and Setúbal. These events will trigger a series of cascading events such as floods, marine pollution, dam rupture, chemical accidents, collapsed structures, rail and road accidents, and urban fires, resulting in substantial material damage and a significant number of fatalities.
The participation of the Azores will be carried out in the International Module, with a team of eleven members of the volunteer fire brigades of Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória and a member of SRPCBA Fire Inspection services, through the knowledge acquired in the Search and Rescue in Collapsed Structures training.
This pioneering training in the Region was conducted for the first time in the Region this year with the aim of preparing Azorean firefighters to take action in situations such as earthquakes or landslides.
With this initiative, the Regional Government intends to create nine specialised teams, one for each island of the archipelago, and two search and rescue intervention brigades on São Miguel and Terceira.
SRPCBA also participates as an observer, which will allow a closer follow-up of the drill as well as a practical experience of the various component that make up the drill, from decision-making centres and command posts to the theatre of operations, but without direct intervention.
In addition to Portugal, this year's edition will involve the participation of countries such as Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Croatia, mobilising more than 3,000 participants in more than 60 different scenarios spread by two dozen locations.
After the end of the drill, participants' performance will be evaluated by a group of national and foreign observers and a judging panel, who will identify good practices but also possible failures and constraints, thus contributing to the improvement of emergency management processes at different levels.
CASCADE'19 is organised by the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) with the collaboration of the Directorate-General of the Maritime Authority and co-financed by the European Union.
Interested parties may obtain more information at www.cascade2019.PT.