Exercise Horizon 2023, during which IZS units and the army rehearsed the liquidation of a military helicopter crash that crashed into a residential area, April 26, 2023 Vícenice near Náměště nad Oslavou, Třebíčsko. More than 160 firefighters, policemen, paramedics, soldiers and police officers took part in the event.
Náměšť nad Oslavou (Třebíčsko) – The fall of a military helicopter into a residential area was simulated by today's tactical exercise, which took place in the military area near Náměšť nad Oslavou in Třebíčsko. Its evaluation will take several weeks. In addition to members of the integrated rescue system (IZS), soldiers also took part in the exercise. Together with the army, the IZS exercises once every three years, spokeswoman for the Vysočina Region Fire Rescue Service Petra Musilová told journalists.
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“Because there is a (military) airport here and such an event can happen, it is important for us to practice with the components all the activities in dealing with an emergency and, of course, cooperation and communication,” said Musilová.
According to the commander of the intervention Lukáš Blažej, the intervention with the helicopter is specific. “The work is very different, because the helicopter contains, for example, 1,000 liters of fuel and there is a risk of an explosion. It also has other pressure vessels, some cartridges. This is different from extinguishing cars and other interventions,” Blažej told ČTK. According to him, it is important to put out the fire first, only then can the firefighters approach and rescue the survivors. “Firefighters must have breathing equipment,” said Blažej.
After the exercise, he gave a good assessment of the speed with which people were evacuated from the affected house. In his 19 years of practice, the firefighter had never experienced an intervention similar to the one he was rehearsing with his colleagues today. In terms of scope, he compared it to the work on extinguishing last year's fire near Hřensko, in which he participated, or to help in the villages in the south of Moravia destroyed by a tornado. “It's from a slightly different morning, but in something similar. The police, the ambulance, a lot of firefighters are there together,” said Blažej.
The referees of the individual components of the IZS watched the whole intervention. “They will subsequently evaluate whether the exercise was successful, whether all the activities that were carried out on the spot are in accordance with the plan of typical activities, which is the procedure for emergency situations,” said Musilová.
The army provided for the exercise space, extras and a helicopter. “And then, of course, the components that are involved – the military fire brigade, the military police and the medical services center. We are concerned with training cooperation with elements of the IZS and practicing the response of the aviation unit to an aircraft accident either in the perimeter of the base or in its immediate vicinity,” he said Aleš Cápal, Deputy Commander of the 22nd Helicopter Air Force Base Náměšť nad Oslavou.
The task of the police in similar events is primarily to secure the place before unauthorized persons enter. “In this case, we had to ensure the access road so that the emergency services could arrive and leave safely. In such situations, the IZS also builds mini-bases right on the spot, this was also the case during acute incidents, for example when we had an incident in 2014 (a fall bridge) in Vilémov,” said police spokeswoman Dana Čírtková. According to her, the deployment of a police helicopter, drones or canines is also common during similar events. Subsequently, the criminal police and investigation service also arrive at the scene. In the event of a real military helicopter accident, it would cooperate with the military police.
Over 160 people participated in the exercise, who had to deal with the fall of a Mi-24V/35 military helicopter into a fictitious residential area, during which four people died. According to the scenario, paramedics were supposed to treat another 16 people, including four with severe injuries, and send them to hospitals. As part of the exercise, an information line for the public was also activated at the regional fire department.
