Israel hosts massive joint emergency response exercise including professional teams from Israel, Jordan, Spain, Italy, France and the Palestinian Authority, participating in multiple-faceted drills of extreme-case scenarios inflicting havoc on a regional scale.

By Lilach Shoval, Itsik Saban and Israel Hayom Staff

Some 400 firefighters from five countries arrived in Israel this week to participate in a massive regional emergency exercise.

Emergency response teams from Israel, Jordan, Italy, France and Spain, as well as teams from the Palestinian Authority, came together Tuesday to drill an extreme-case scenario in which a huge wildfire burns its way from country to country, wreaking havoc on a regional scale.

Drill aims to encourage emergency situation management knowledge-sharing – Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The exercise was orchestrated by the Public Security Ministry in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, National Emergency Authority, Transportation Ministry, Israel Police, the IDF’s Homefront Command, Israel Fire and Rescue Services, Magen David Adom emergency services, and the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.

The joint exercise, partially funded by the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Center, aims to improve the teams’ skills and encourage professional knowledge-sharing with respect to emergency situation management, underscoring the need to save lives and preserving nature, regardless of nationality and borders.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan – Photo: Israel Fire & Rescue Authority/Facebook

“Saving lives is a supreme value,” Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who visited one of the drill sites Tuesday, said. “This exercise demonstrates a unique collaboration with the Jordanians, the Palestinians and the European Union.”

View original Israel Hayom publication at:
http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/10/25/israel-hosts-wide-scale-regional-emergency-exercise/