On May 21st, the “Major Accident Response Exercise 2024” took place, organised by the Aviano Airport Command. In addition to the men and women of the Italian Air Force, the exercise involved USAF personnel stationed at the same base, as well as personnel from the Fire Brigade, Law Enforcement, Civil Protection, the Regional Emergency Health Operations Centre (SORES), the Prefecture of Pordenone and the Municipality of San Quirino (PN).
The exercise event was intended to simulate an emergency situation following a flight incident involving a military aircraft in the immediate vicinity of the “Pagliano e Gori” airport, and to train Italian and US personnel to operate jointly in such a situation, in support of and in coordination with other rescue teams.
The MARE 2024 exercise, in addition to testing the readiness of the AM and USAF military components involved, was in fact promoted by the Aviano Airport Command with the specific aim of enhancing the interaction and synergy between the various military and civilian actors involved in managing an emergency situation. The complex scenario aimed to develop the different aspects of the emergency: from immediate alerting, to rapid intervention and securing the affected area, to health aspects and judicial police matters, in an operational context characterised by the deployment of a USAF asset. This allowed for the enhancement of collaboration and interaction among the stakeholders involved, valuing their different capabilities and skills by coordinating actions and operational procedures.
“This type of training represents an excellent opportunity for professional exchange in order to standardise and harmonise emergency procedures and to maintain high operational standards not only for the Department in its uniqueness and complexity. Synergy with civil agencies at a local level constitutes an important form of integration of all available capabilities that can contribute to guaranteeing the security of the territory. This is one of the objectives of the exercise for which we have taken the initiative.”this is what Colonel Salvatore LA LUCE, Commander of the Aviano Airport Command, stated at the end of the exercise.
Aviano Air Base is an Air Force airport named after “Pagliano and Gori”, heroic aviators of the First World War. The installation is under Italian command and hosts an important USAF Department. The mission assigned to the Aviano Air Base Command is to guarantee national sovereignty, oversee the application of bilateral agreements relating to the US presence, support deployed Departments, supervise flight and operational activity, and ensure the defence of the Base.
