The search and rescue exercise in collapsed structures (BREC), which took place this Sunday in Portimão, involving firefighters from this city, Albufeira and Moscavide/Portela, had a "positive balance" and allowed for the assessment of "improvements in response capacity".
The 24-hour Livex exercise (Live Exercise), without interruption, involved six specialized intervention teams (four from the Portimão Fire Department, one from the Albufeira Fire Department and the other from the Moscavide and Portela Fire Department), in a total of 60 workers.
The exercise simulated the effects of a fictional earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, with 15 different scenarios, with the BREC teams rescued “12 victims in the most complex settings”.
According to a statement from the Fire Department Support and Staff Nucleus of Portimão, the exercise “provided the greatest challenges for the BREC teams, with the objective of opening accesses, supporting structures, moving cargo, progressing in confined spaces and collapsed structures, as well as stabilizing and extracting victims».
Also within the scope of this Livex, 40 firefighters from the Special Rescue Group (GSE) of the Firefighters of Portimão have been stationed at Chão das Donas since last Monday (a total of seven days), and, on Saturday, they welcomed the external teams with the which operated in the different environments.
This exercise culminated the course that «certifies these Women and Men for intervention in BREC, complying with international requirements in this area and following the guidelines of the INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) of the United Nations».
Command and control capabilities, effort management and interoperability were also tested (teams surrendered every 6 hours), logistical support for operations and the physical and psychological resilience of the operational staff.
"The balance was extremely positive, as it was possible to train this special unit with a greater number of techniques and improve the response in exceptional situations, operationally validate the established procedures for mobilization, dispatch and autonomy of this permanent commitment force, as well as the practical application of the resources recently acquired by the municipality within the scope of the strategic plan for the re-equipment of municipal civil protection», stress those responsible for Livex.
This initiative also had the support of the Portuguese Red Cross and the Portimão Group of the National Scouts Corps, which ensured, at specific times, logistical tasks for the operationalization of the base of operations.
The GSE of Portimão Firefighters brings together technical rescue by ropes, rescue in white water, rescue in the water plane and underwater searches, rescue in ditches and, after this training, search and rescue in collapsed structures, which is joined by survival qualification.
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