Municipal Disaster Days in Madrid

The world of disaster prevention and management knows no boundaries. Safety and rescue are global issues, with increasing attention from governments and organizations worldwide. In Europe, a concrete example of this commitment is the Municipal Disaster Days. Organized by SAMUR-Civil Protection, they have become a key event for professionals and volunteers working in out-of-hospital emergencies in Spain and neighboring countries, as well as an unmissable occasion for companies like Stem, whose products fall within the realm of healthcare emergency and safety. This year’s edition promises to be particularly significant, as it will host a large-scale simulation aimed at testing and enhancing urban emergency response capabilities. Get ready for an unmissable event on October 25 and 26, 2024, in Madrid!

What is SAMUR-Civil Protection?

In 1989, the Madrid City Council recognized the need for a pre-hospital emergency service in the city. Through the Health Department, a team was established to design and develop a cutting-edge service. Building on the former Municipal Ambulance Park, active since 1875, new ambulances were designed, an advanced telecommunications center was created, and staff selection and training were improved.

In 1991, SAMUR (Municipal Emergency Assistance and Rescue Service) was born as a pilot project. It moved away from the traditional “scoop and run” approach in favor of immediate medical assistance at the scene and assisted transport. Additionally, the service took on responsibilities related to health management and the resolution of potential disasters that could occur in the city.

In 1992, the service officially became a medical transport section, and, in 1995, it was expanded with new responsibilities, becoming SAMUR-Civil Protection, with a focus also on training over 5,000 people annually in first aid and covering prevention services.

Today, SAMUR-Civil Protection stands out for its rapid response and adoption of advanced technologies in the field of civil protection. The organization has participated in numerous interventions both in national and international contexts, helping to save lives and to manage critical situations with professionalism and expertise.

What to Expect from the Municipal Disaster Days?

As reported by Madrid InfoEmer, the Municipal Disaster Days, organized for the first time in 1992, bring together experts, operators, and enthusiasts in the field to address crucial issues in disaster management. This year’s theme will be “Madrid at the Heart of International Solidarity.” Here are the highlights of the event:

• Scientific Forum: Renowned international speakers will share experiences and strategies in emergency management, analyzing case studies and innovations. Experts from nine European Union countries will be present, offering a global perspective on the challenges faced in the sector. This scientific forum will take place at the Municipal Training Center for Safety and Emergencies (CIFSE) in Madrid on Friday, October 25, starting at 10 AM.
• Practical Workshops: Participants will have the opportunity to hone their skills in realistic scenarios through operational workshops providing tools for crisis situations.
• Emergency Simulation: A crucial moment will be the large simulator at the Cuatro Vientos airbase, which will replicate an emergency situation to test the participants’ reaction capabilities. Over 600 people and emergency teams from all over Spain and international countries will participate in this simulation.

This exercise will not only allow the application of learned concepts but also evaluate existing procedures and identify potential areas for improvement. The macro-simulation will begin on Saturday, October 26, at 6 PM.

• Commercial and Institutional Exhibitions: Leading companies in the field of civil protection will present their technological innovations, ranging from rescue equipment to communication technologies. There will also be an institutional exhibition showcasing the resources of security forces, firefighters, armed forces, and other groups involved in emergency management.

Large-Scale Simulation

One of the key elements of the Municipal Disaster Days is the practical simulation. Over the years, this simulation has undergone considerable evolution, both in the themes addressed and in the approaches to emergencies. Looking back at the 2010 edition, the focus was primarily on responding to forest fires, a particularly important issue in Spain. In that year, the focus was on prevention and optimisation of intervention times, laying the groundwork for future editions increasingly oriented towards the use of technologies.

2015 – 2017

A significant step forward occurred in 2015 with the simulation of an earthquake in an urban context, involving over 500 operators. This edition marked a crucial turning point, testing for the first time the cooperation between different emergency bodies in complex crisis situations and paving the way for a review of operational protocols.

By 2017, the focus shifted to the importance of citizens in rescue operations. The public was surprised to find themselves actively engaged in caring for patients, responding to requests for assistance from medical teams overwhelmed by the high number of casualties. Since than, SAMUR has transformed the traditional passive role of citizens into an active agent of civil protection, thus helping to improve the survival chain.

The exercise featured a very complex scenario where coordination among teams became particularly important when the emergence of a supposed terrorist barricaded with several hostages triggered a police intervention. The evacuation of 45 individuals to hospitals such as 12 de Octubre, Gómez Ulla, and La Paz was a way of testing the the responsiveness and performance of these hospitals in the face of a real situation.

2022 – Disaster Days

Finally, in 2022, during the post-pandemic era, the days focused on health emergencies. Large-scale pandemic simulations highlighted how the perception of global risk had changed compared to previous editions. That same year, the Disaster Days were celebrated. The Special Operations Group (GEO) has been the protagonists of chases, shootings, and explosions in three set scenarios: a hotel, a bus, and a supermarket.

Within minutes, the medical staff organized triage to assess the severity of the injuries and plan the transfer to medical centers. Even in this edition, the fictitious injured were effectively transferred to four healthcare centers in the Community of Madrid to continue the simulation. The National Police launched specific operations for each situation, using shields, blank-firing weapons, and guide dogs.

A particularly thrilling moment occurred when, after two “terrorists” barricaded themselves in the bus, the GEO intervened from the roof of a special forces vehicle to rescue the hostages.

Photo Credits: El Debate

This year

This year, the exercise will be inspired by scenarios of complex urban crises, such as earthquakes, large-scale fires, or floods. The simulations are designed to test the coordinated response between several agencies, including firefighters, civil protection, municipal police, and health services. Through the use of advanced technologies and integrated rescue procedures, these exercises reproduce the real dynamics of disasters. The aim is to improve the speed and effectiveness of interventions and to test the effectiveness of new operational protocols and the latest technologies developed in recent years.

Useful Information about the 26th Municipal Disaster Days

• Free event open to everyone aged 16 and above.
• Limited places: early registration recommended.
• Each participant may bring up to two companions.
• The simulation is not recommended for small children.

More details on registration and the program are available on the official SAMUR-Civil Protection website.

A Global Commitment to Disaster Management

The increasing frequency of catastrophic events has highlighted the importance of prevention and emergency management on a global scale. For this reason, it is no surprise that similar exercises are held in other parts of the world, reflecting an international sensitivity towards public safety. In the United States, for example, the Cascadia Rising simulation was one of the most complex ever organized, involving numerous federal, state, and local agencies. This exercise focused on a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a 30-meter tsunami in the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Ocean, simulating critical transport missions, emergency healthcare, victim management, and mass services for the affected population. This collective effort tested the response capabilities of the involved agencies and their ability to coordinate to manage a disaster of such magnitude.

Another significant simulation is the Exercise Unified Response in the United Kingdom, the largest exercise ever conducted in the 150-year history of the London Fire Brigade. Based on a hypothetical building collapse on a subway station, it involved over 80 European agencies, with more than 1,000 simulated casualties and hundreds of tons of debris. It was a unique opportunity to test urban search and rescue procedures in a complex context like that of a major metropolis.

Did you know about these disaster prevention and management days? The challenges of the future require preparation, collaboration, and the use of the best technologies. The Madrid fair represents a unique opportunity to improve our skills and strengthen our response capabilities. Will you be in Madrid to discover the future of safety?