A readiness exercise code-named “SEISICHTHON 2023” was carried out by the Regional Fire Brigade Administration (P.E.PY.D.) of Attica at the facilities of the Hellenic Authority for Geological and Mineral Research (H.S.G.M.E.) in the Olympic Village.
According to the exercise scenario, which unfolded in four (4) phases, a strong seismic event struck the area, causing a partial collapse of a building and the entrapment of individuals, accompanied by a fire outbreak due to a natural gas leak in the H.S.G.M.E. building.
Upon notification of the Operations Center, fire service units from the 6th Fire Station of Athens were mobilized, along with the Mobile Operations Center (K.E.K.) “OLYMPOS”, rescue vehicles, the Canine Search and Rescue Team (K.O.E.D.) of the 1st EMAK, a specialized ladder truck, an ambulance, engineers from OASP and DEPA, a DEI technical team, and the H.S.G.M.E. fire safety team.
Upon arrival at the “disaster” site, priority was given to rescuing and evacuating people from the ground floor using specialized rescue tools operated by the 1st EMAK, while firefighters simultaneously extinguished the blaze.
Using geophones and telescopic cameras, the audiovisual operator confirmed the presence of a victim beneath concrete slabs, which were then drilled and cut. Rescued individuals were received by Hellenic Red Cross volunteers already on site and transported to an E.K.A.B. ambulance.
Subsequently, trapped individuals were located on the second floor of the partially collapsed building and were rescued with stretchers using a special ladder vehicle and transferred to safety by the Mountaineering Search and Rescue Team (O.O.E.D.) of the 1st EMAK.
The main objectives of the exercise were to test and apply the disaster response plan with the cooperation of involved Authorities, Services, and Organizations, in order to assess, among other things, existing rescue procedures, the effectiveness of disaster response plans, and the overall preparedness level of the participating entities.
The exercise was attended by the Regional Fire Commander of Attica, Major General P.S. Dimitrios Patrakis, the Fire Commander of Athens, Chief Fire Officer Athanasios Chatzopoulos, the Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection of Acharnes, Georgios Sidiropoulos, the Head of the Preparedness and Assistance Department of OASP, Thelka Thoma, the Commander of the 6th Fire Station of Athens, Lieutenant Colonel Achilleas Papachristos, as well as representatives from the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.), E.K.A.B., the Hellenic Red Cross, and local authorities.
From H.S.G.M.E., the exercise was attended by the General Director, Dionysios Goutis, the Deputy General Director, Konstantinos Zombos, the President of the Authority, Konstantinos Saltas, and all H.S.G.M.E. staff members.