Cross-border disaster exercise: Efficient cooperation in an emergency

Cross-border disaster exercise: Efficient cooperation in an emergency

In an impressive demonstration of cross-border cooperation, the Kufstein district administration, the Rosenheim district office and the energy supplier Verbund recently carried out a large-scale disaster exercise. The focus was on a hypothetical flood scenario that hit the Tyrol and Bavaria regions at the same time. This exercise was crucial to ensure efficiency and coordination between the various crisis teams in an emergency.

The scenario simulated extremely heavy rainfall that caused the Inn and its tributaries to overflow their banks. The practitioners were confronted with flooded houses, closed streets and districts cut off from the outside world. The operational management of the combined hydroelectric power plants played a central role so that the emergency services on both sides of the border were able to react quickly and sustainably.

Efficient communication in an emergency

The exercise aimed to improve the exchange of information between the crisis teams. District captain Kurt Berek expressed himself positively about the process and the cooperation between the various parties involved: "Natural disasters such as floods know no borders. All three practice teams worked well together and we have laid an important foundation for an emergency."

State Security Councilor Astrid Mair underlined the relevance of such exercises and explained: “The better all the actors know each other personally and understand the working methods of the other side, the faster measures can be taken to ensure the safety of the population.” This form of cooperation is not just a theoretical exercise, but laid the foundation for future joint operations if the situation requires it.

Improving cross-border cooperation

During the exercise, the crisis teams from Kufstein, Rosenheim and the association constantly exchanged situation information in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the situation and be able to make well-founded decisions. Rosenheim's district administrator Otto Lederer appreciated the importance of the exercise: "During the flood disaster in June of this year, it became clear that the cooperation between the Rosenheim district and the Kufstein district administration in the fire departments worked excellently. However, the cooperation between the crisis teams had not yet been practiced."

Andreas Auer, Verbund's plant group leader, emphasized how important the exercise was in raising awareness of such situations. He said: “The key is to find a common, understandable language.” Elmar Rizzoli, the head of the Tyrolean Center for Crisis and Disaster Management, added that a clear picture of the situation in an emergency is crucial for decision-making and that regular exchange between those involved remains essential. Further information about the region and local events appear regularly in the reporting of www.meinkreis.at.