4:17 in the morning. The earth trembles. Buildings collapse, roads tear open, the supply of electricity, water and gas breaks down. Chaos reigns in Gdańsk and the surrounding areas. People are missing, numerous people are trapped under rubble. The local emergency services are working at their limits and international help is called in.
Fortunately, this scenario was not a reality, but part of a large-scale search and rescue exercise in Poland at the beginning of June. For the ISAR Germany emergency services, however, the assumed disaster felt frighteningly real. The teams trained for several days under conditions that came as close as possible to an international disaster operation.
„Our aim was to create as realistic an operational scenario as possible that would challenge the participants and at the same time depict the processes of an international disaster operation as authentically as possible,“ explains Simon Gutzeit, Head of Exercise Control (EXCON) and responsible for organising the exercise. „From the entry and registration procedures and the setting up of the camp through to search, rescue and medical care, we have mapped the entire operational chain. This allows us to gain valuable insights and optimally prepare for future operations.“
The exercise was based on a fictitious earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2. Numerous buildings collapsed, roads and bridges were damaged and large parts of the infrastructure failed. Many people were considered injured, missing or buried. For the emergency services, this meant assuming a complex international operation in which every decision could have an impact on the further course of events.
The first few hours of the exercise were already modelled on a real deployment abroad. After entering the country and completing the necessary registration procedures, coordination took place with the authorities of the country concerned. ISAR Germany then set up its own Base of Operations (BoO), which served as accommodation, command and logistics centre throughout the exercise.
As soon as the camp was set up, the real work began. Reconnaissance teams gained an overview of the damage situation, search areas were defined and the incident command team developed the tactical approach for the coming hours and days.
The search for trapped people took centre stage. Rescue dogs worked their way through the rubble with great concentration, while modern localisation technology helped to find trapped people. After successful localisation, the technical rescue measures began. Access points were created, concrete structures were opened and the simulated casualties were rescued from the rubble.
Challenging rescues from heights and depths were also part of the training programme. Whether in damaged building structures, narrow shafts or hard-to-access areas - the teams had to prove their technical skills, creativity and teamwork time and time again.
After each rescue, the medical teams took over the care of the victims. This involved training the interaction of all specialist areas - from search and technical rescue to medical treatment. It is precisely this interaction that makes international disaster operations so successful.
A key factor in the success of the exercise was the support provided by the Polish fire service. The Polish partners contributed their experience during the preparation phase and ensured realistic conditions. Throughout the exercise, experienced instructors and classifiers accompanied the ISAR Germany teams, observed the processes and provided valuable feedback from their many years of practical experience.
The interaction between the various departments during the exercise was particularly impressive. Many processes already meshed well and the teams demonstrated the commitment, motivation and expertise with which they prepare for international missions.
„Exercises like these are invaluable for us,“ says Ralf Heuberg, Managing Director of ISAR Germany. „They give us the opportunity to test our processes under realistic conditions, gain experience and continuously develop ourselves further. We will now carefully analyse the numerous tips and recommendations from the Polish trainers and classifiers and incorporate them into our further training.
What our team achieved during this exercise deserves great recognition. Over the course of several days, our helpers worked with great commitment, expertise and team spirit and faced a wide variety of challenges. What is particularly impressive is that all of this was done on a voluntary basis - alongside work, family and everyday commitments.
I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their time, energy and experience to this exercise. Without this extraordinary commitment, the work of ISAR Germany would not be possible. I am proud of what we have achieved together.“
