Disaster management exercise held in Algyő wi th more than two hundred participants

On September 25, a joint disaster management exercise organized as part of the SAFETY4TMF Project was held in the Algyő area, prepared by the staff of the Csongrád-Csanád County Disaster Management Directorate. The aim of the event was to increase the preparedness of the emergency services, improve cooperation, and enhance the protection of the population.

Speeches were given at the official opening of the exercise by Dr. Miklós Dukai, State Secretary for Local Government at the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development, Dr. László Péter Salgó, Chief Magistrate of Csongrád-Csanád County, Dr. Áron Molnár, Mayor of Algyő, and Col. Imre Rókus,  director for County Director of Disaster Management. More than forty guests attended the event. They included mayors of municipalities, district office managers, and representatives of organizations involved in the project, who followed the events of the exercise throughout the day.

The large-scale program series, which took place at several locations, began at 9 a.m. and included colorful and varied simulations. The participants - including professional and volunteer firefighters, Red Cross staff, and representatives of partner organizations - were able to demonstrate their professional knowledge and ability to work together in a number of realistic situations.

The main elements of the exercise included:

· rescuing a passenger car from the Tisza River,

· resuscitating and providing medical care to a child who had fallen into the water,

· rescuing injured people from under fallen trees,

· rescuing victims of a mass road accident and performing technical rescue of vehicles,

· and dealing with an accident involving a tanker truck carrying hazardous materials.

A flood emergency cannot be ruled out in the settlements along the Tisza, so during the exercise, they also prepared for interventions related to such events. They practiced dealing with the consequences of a dam breach threatening to cause flooding, the process of evacuation and relocation, and the reception of the population. One of the public buildings in Algyő served as a temporary reception center, equipped with beds and basic amenities to make the simulation as realistic as possible.

An operational team coordinated the tasks on site and had the opportunity to practice the use of geographic information and communication tools.

More than 200 people took part in the exercise during the day, demonstrating a high level of professional preparedness. The successful completion of the specified tasks showed that the cooperation between disaster management, partner organizations, local governments, and volunteers is effective and efficient in all situations.

The water purification unit of Fővárosi Vízművek (Budapest Waterworks) also took part in the exercise, having already demonstrated its world-class knowledge and capabilities in real missions in various parts of the world.

As part of the professional event, eight volunteer rescue organizations from Csongrád-Csanád County successfully completed a national recertification exercise, which entitles them to participate in damage assessment activities alongside professional firefighting units for another five years.

All participants successfully completed their tasks during the exercise, the set goals were achieved, and the event contributed to further strengthening preparedness, professional relationships, and joint defense capabilities.