ZAGREB, April 3, 2019 - The first international firefighting exercise in the history of the EU, MODEX CRES 2019, is being held on the island of Cres on April 7-10, with firefighters from Croatia and seven other European countries participating.
A press conference held in Rijeka on Tuesday heard that the MODEX CRES 2019 exercise will continue for 52 hours and will cover the entire island.
The exercise will include 300 firefighters with more than a hundred vehicles as well as Croatian and Italian Canadair aircraft. The exercise is part of the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism and is aimed at improving cooperation between member states during interventions in natural disasters.
Croatia's chief fire officer Slavko Tucaković described the exercise as a historic event and yet another opportunity to check the country's homeland security system.
Large wildfires around Europe last year were a warning about the importance of international cooperation and coordination of firefighting services, Tucaković said. This exercise will test capabilities of receiving firefighting teams from other countries, their transport, communication, mobility, joint actions and logistic support, he added.
Vehicles and firefighters will be transported on regular ferry lines as well as landing craft. Firefighters will also practice helicopter landing and test IT systems for crisis management and the use of drones, he added.
More news on fire-fighting in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.
