CIVIL PROTECTION, TEREX 2010: INTERNATIONAL DRILL IN TUSCANY
Italian article written by Pierfrancesco Demilito – English Translation by Francesco Preziosa and Lucia D’Addato – Revision by Francesco Preziosa
From 25th to 28th of November, the provinces of Pisa, Massa Carrara, Pistoia and Lucca hosted a large international civil protection drill entitled TEREX 2010, i.e. Tuscany Earthquake Relief Exercise.
The drill consisted of simulating a magnitude 6.4 earthquake similar to the one which had occurred in the same area on September 7th 1920. It was an opportunity to test the effectiveness of the Civil Protection system at national level, but also to see if the European mechanism of civil protection works. Indeed, even rescue teams from Austria, Croatia, France Slovenia and Russian Federation took part in the exercise.
European teams worked in close collaboration with Italian teams, in simulation areas set up in Barga, Camporgiano and Sillano in province of Lucca, Villafranca in Lunigiana, Carrara in province of Massa Carrara, Pescia and Pistoia in province of Pistoia.
Apart from 2400 men and women who took part in the drill, Tuscan students had a central role in this three-day workshop. More than 190 institutes tested the evacuation of school buildings on the morning of 25th November, in conjunction with the VIII school safety day.
This was an important test that constituted an useful exercise for the Civil Protection Department and for the volunteers who work throughout the country. Moreover, it showed the population how to act in case of earthquakes.
For further information, apply to the “Terex section of the Civil Protection website“.
englishmediapolitika.wordpress.com 