Α two-day Search and Rescue exercise “ARTEMIS 2025”, which took place in Larnaca, was completed on Saturday. The exercise, that also included the facilities of the Disaster Response Special Unit (D.R.S.U) in Kofinou and in the Zygi area, focused on preparedness and coordination of first responders in the event of a major earthquake.
The Spokesperson of Civil Defence, Panayiotis Liasides, stated that “the exercise is co-financed by the European Union within the framework of the Unit’s participation in the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Response Capacity Pool, which supports training and preparedness actions to strengthen response to natural disasters.”
Simulating Strong Earthquake
He added that the exercise was implemented by Cyprus Civil Defence in cooperation with the Cyprus Fire Service and the Ambulance Service Directorate.
“ARTEMIS 2025” was designed with the aim of “testing the preparedness and coordination of Search and Rescue teams, training in the handling of complex incidents following a major earthquake, improving cooperation among all involved agencies, and exercising teams in continuous, long-term operations.”
Regarding the scenario of the drill, Liasides said that it simulates the handling of first responders in the case of “a strong 7.1-magnitude earthquake on the southern coast of Larnaca, causing widespread collapse, a significant number of trapped citizens, damaged buildings" that require immediate mobilization of the competent services.
“All procedures were carried out as they would be applied during a real incident,” he said.
Teams on the Ready
During the exercise, “rescue operations from rubble were conducted, ‘missing persons’ were located through search teams, emergency assistance was provided and injured persons were transported, coordination with maritime forces took place, and the operations base operated continuously for 36 hours.”
The operations “developed under realistic conditions, with continuous changes to the scenario, in order to test the adaptability of the teams,” he noted.
He also stated that the exercise is “evaluated as particularly successful and demonstrated the high level of readiness of the teams, the effective cooperation of the agencies involved, and the ability to manage prolonged operations under pressure.”
CNA