European emergency response preparedness exercises

Emergency management exercises have been conducted in Germany and Austria to test disaster preparedness and inter-organizational cooperation.

In Zolling, Germany, approximately 700 responders participated in the ‘High Voltage 2026’ exercise. This simulation modeled a gas cylinder explosion at a music festival, creating approximately 170 simulated casualties. The drill involved the Red Cross, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, Malteser, local fire departments, and police, with the Freising Clinic establishing a dedicated second emergency room to manage the simulated influx of victims.

In Wolfsberg, Austria, the ‘COMBINED SUCCESS 2018’ exercise focused on a sudden, long-term, and supra-regional failure of the electrical power supply. The simulation tested the impact of a blackout on critical infrastructure and official emergency command structures. During the exercise, the AMRS Wolfsberg amateur radio station supported emergency services by establishing a lead station at the main Wolfsberg fire station to maintain regional and supra-regional connections.