Interior Ministry to Evaluate Civil Protection Exercise in Kosice Region

Michalovce, 4 September (TASR) - The Interior Ministry will carry out a detailed evaluation of the national civil protection and crisis management exercise 'Shadows in the Clouds' which took place across Kosice region on Wednesday (2 September) and Thursday (3 September) in order to test the response of the state, emergency services and security forces to emergencies such as mass-casualty incidents or an airspace violation, TASR has learnt from ministry's spokesperson Matej Neumann. The ministry will assess response times, the flow of information, coordination between the various levels of crisis management, as well as the effectiveness of the procedures used, and is due to submit a comprehensive report on the exercise and its results by 15 December. "Slovakia must be prepared for current security threats. The aim of the exercise is clear: to improve the state's preparedness to deal with emergencies and crisis situations and strengthen measures aimed at preventing their consequences," said Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD). The first day of the exercise began with a simulated emergency at an industrial facility in Velke Kapusany (Kosice region), which included triaging and transport of casualties, with hospitals in Michalovce and Trebisov (both Kosice region) also testing their readiness to receive a large number of patients. The second day focused on a simulated airspace violation, warning the public, taking shelter and evacuation. Procedures for protecting schools and nursing homes were also rehearsed, with an administrative simulation of the declaration of a state of emergency being part of the scenario. The exercise was organised by the Interior Ministry's Crisis Management Section in cooperation with other ministries, state administration bodies, local authorities and emergency and security services. Its aim was to test not only the functioning of individual units, but above all their coordination, exchange of information and ability to make and implement decisions in practice. jrg/mcs