Nationwide Red Cross exercise “UHUdler” a complete success

2023-10-28 12:46:09

Red Cross teams from all over Austria practiced various danger and damage situations in 15 scenarios

Heiligenkreuz in Lafnitztal (OTS) – Photos: https://we.tl/t-H0BH80mCL4

A mass panic after a lightning strike, a canoe accident, an accident with acetic acid, the collision of two aircraft and much more: the scenarios of the Red Cross federal exercise UHUdler, which were completed on October 27th and 28th, 2023 in the Güssing area, demanded the participants :everything inside. The aim of the exercise was to train the interaction between the various Red Cross units as well as the cooperation with other emergency organizations such as the fire brigade and the police. The exercise organized by the Burgenland regional association of the Austrian Red Cross is considered a complete success by those responsible.

Almost 500 employees of the Red Cross from all over Austria and 200 extras took part in 15 different scenarios on October 27th and 28th, 2023 as part of the federal exercise in the Güssing area in Burgenland. In order to further increase the level of difficulty, many scenarios took place in parallel and thus placed particularly high demands on the operational management. This had to coordinate a large number of Red Cross units in a wide variety of requirements situations, but also coordinate with other emergency organizations such as the fire department and the police.

Federal Rescue Commander Gerry Foitik: “After the great effort during the pandemic, it is time again to prepare ourselves throughout Austria for future disasters. The federal exercise that has just ended is an important instrument of this preparation and has shown us how well the supra-regional cooperation of various Red Cross units works and is a strong sign of voluntary, professional help.”

State rescue commander Polzer is very satisfied “The large-scale exercise was something very special. We were able to practice many different scenarios with some very high other requirements, many of them at the same time. “It was a big challenge for everyone involved, but one they were able to meet brilliantly,” sums up Hans Peter Polzer, Burgenland State Rescue Commander. The exercise also showed that the cooperation with the other rescue organizations works excellently. We were also able to gain valuable experience for future joint operations.

Cooperation with A1

As part of the exercise, a 5G truck from A1 was in operation at the site. In addition to telecommunications, this also ensured the camp’s power supply in the event of a blackout. Part of the exercise also included an out-of-sight drone flight in cooperation with A1, which was used to practice rescuing people and exploring areas outside the immediate field of vision. This made it possible for the rescue workers to get an overview of the area around the accident site, which was not immediately visible, and to clarify whether there were other people who needed to be cared for or whether there were other dangers that could not be identified on site that needed to be taken into account.

A1 Enterprise CCO Martin Resel underlines the importance of 5G technology for drone use: “The comprehensive 5G network is the basis for the drone technology of the future. We are therefore already preparing for future applications, such as the 5G drone flight implemented today together with the Red Cross. Many thanks the Red Cross and AIRlabs Austria for the great collaboration that makes it possible to test technological innovations in a realistic environment.”