Emergency Services Master CBRN Drill: Cross-Border Cooperation Strengthened
Emergency services across borders honed their skills in a major CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) incident response exercise. The drill took place at the LSTE Eisenhuettenstadt, involving over 70 personnel from various local associations and the Polish fire department.
The exercise focused on vehicle and personnel decontamination, with the rescEU CBRN Decon Unit leading the procedures. The Technical Relief Agency (THW) participated, aiming to professionalize their response techniques.
Heavy rescue and excavation equipment was deployed in a scenario involving an explosion with radioactive release. The teams practiced rescuing persons from a debris site, demonstrating their ability to handle complex CBRN incidents.
The exercise also strengthened cross-border cooperation between THW and PSP (Polish fire department). It tested the rescEU CBRN decontamination capacity, which is part of the EU's disaster response procedure for CBRN hazards. This capacity can be requested when local resources are insufficient.
The successful exercise demonstrated the readiness of emergency services to respond to CBRN incidents. It also highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in maintaining a robust EU disaster response procedure. Barbara Schwarzwälder, contact person for the THW Regional Association Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, is available for inquiries via email and phone at the THW Landesverband Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt.
