A realistic setting for a disaster scenario
From the early hours of the morning, preparations began on the Canonica site, chosen for its SEVESO zone status, where the slightest error could have serious consequences in a real emergency situation. A simulated plane wreck, artificial casualties made up to represent burns and trauma, thick smoke escaping from the site: everything was done to immerse the teams in a disturbing reality. “When we are in a crisis situation, we have no right to make mistakes”declared Michel Prosic, carefully observing the operations. “If we want to act effectively, each service must know exactly what it must do. »
Coordinate the efforts of 450 people in a real case
Even if around sixty personnel were physically present during this exercise, Michel Prosic recalled that in the event of a real crisis, nearly 450 people could be mobilized: gendarmes, firefighters, civil security agents and medical teams. For example, 180 gendarmerie soldiers can be mobilized in Haute-Corse, and on the firefighters side, 138 men could be deployed.
On site, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Noël Rigaud, head of the SIS 2B territorial group, supervised the firefighters' operations. Among the intervention vehicles and sophisticated equipment, he detailed the resources mobilized: “Here we have a forward command post, extrication equipment, pumping systems, as well as tools to confine risk areas. Our priority is always to protect victims and limit environmental impact. »
A few kilometers away, in Bastia, a fictitious crisis unit had been set up in the premises of the Departmental Territorial Directorate (DTT). Around fifteen officials simulated the management of calls and the organization of the reception of victims, particularly at Bastia-Poretta airport, a central point in the system.
