‘DOMINO’ exercise tests EU response capacities
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain took part in the EU full-scale civil protection exercise ‘DOMINO’ on 16–19 May 2022.
The exercise, which was the culmination of a year and a half of efforts by French, German and Spanish Ministries of the Interior, Belgian Federal Public Service, Austrian Ministry of Defense and the Valabre Entente pour la forêt méditerranéenne, aimed to help better prepare participants to respond effectively in case of a disaster. Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, attended.
Commissioner Janez Lenarčič also met with the President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council, Renaud Muselier, and heads of EU civil protection authorities to discuss current and future challenges in crisis prevention, preparedness and response at European level. A total of 21 countries were represented during this exercise engaged in the EU Civil Protection Teams, as observers or as evaluators.
The scenario
The DOMINO exercise simulated response, including disaster medicine, to an unprecedented chemical risk and maritime pollution event in the industrial risk basin of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille (South of France), which shelters over more than 20 Seveso sites. It was based on first responders’ and decision makers feedback following the massive explosion at the French Lubrizol plant in Rouen in September 2019.
The exercise area, which covered the municipalities of Martigues, Châteauneuf-les-Martigues and Fos-sur-Mer, was chosen due to the several petrochemical industry sites located around the Etang de Berre. In reality, the chain reaction in the practice scenario would expose the local population and environment to ‘major risks’; 148 schools were within the territory targeted by the exercise.
FR-Alert
DOMINO was also the occasion to test the FR-Alert system. This is the new alert system which allows the population to be informed by telephone.
Set up at the end of June, it will provide real-time warning to anyone present in the area of a terrorist, climatic or chemical disaster.
FR-Alert has never been tested in France on a real population. This new technology will make it possible to reach all telephones in a given territory without the risk of network saturation.
Operational on all telephones, it is intended to be generalised in France.
A chance for networking
Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: “Live simulations provide a unique and much-needed opportunity for emergency personnel to come together to strengthen their preparedness for large-scale disasters. I would like to thank France, as well as Austria, Belgium, Germany and Spain for their contribution to the organisation of the largest large-scale exercise ever carried out in recent memory. Let me assure you that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism remains available to provide urgent assistance in the event of major disasters or other emergencies.”
"The DOMINO 2022 full scale exercise, with the support of the European Commission, has allowed not only to identify the gaps to be filled in the management of a large scale crisis at the national level, but also to test the indispensable European solidarity in action in the face of numerous catastrophic events.”
More about the DOMINO 2022 full scale exercise here.