The Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (disaster relief unit of the Armed Forces) is currently taking part in the EU certification exercise “EUModEX PL” in Gdansk, Poland, with 61 specialists, 21 vehicles and around 270 tons of equipment. The exercise involves practising “Urban Search And Rescue” (USAR: rescue and recovery in built-up areas).
Federal Minister Klaudia Tanner emphasizes: “The disaster relief operation after the 2023 earthquake in Turkey showed how important it is to provide rapid and professional assistance. In this realistic exercise, our specialists train rescue and recovery operations in an international environment in a disaster scenario. The commitment of each individual is the basis for professional work in a challenging environment and therefore the prerequisite for being able to save lives in an operation – thank you for this mission!”
During this exercise, the operational capability of the emergency services is practiced in the port of Gdansk following an assumed explosion. The aim of the three-day exercise is to rescue people and goods from collapsed buildings. The specialists from AFDRU 2023 were last deployed after the earthquake in Turkey and only recently to to combat foot-and-mouth disease in Slovakia. This year has also seen two international certification exercises for fighting forest fires and for water treatment as part of an exercise in Bulgaria were successfully completed.
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