Josef H. Riener

The EU-funded project CROSSFLOOD (Cross Border Flood Response Exercises in a Post-Conflict Environment) is opening a new approach for the next few years in Civil Protection. Post-conflict and low-conflict situations are becoming the next scenario. Civil Protection has moved from USAR to floods, then wildfires, and has coped well with that. Now, the implementation of demining units, detection, sampling, and decontamination of CBRNE risks are the new tasks. CROSSFLOOD aims to train Civil Defence Organisations and UCPM (Union Civil Protection Mechanism) modules in a TTX (table-top exercise) and an FSX (full-scale exercise) in operating their missions in a Post-Conflict area of operations.
The TTX prepares the participating EU-modules and teams for the scenario and the FSX in September. Over 50 participants from international teams and Romanian authorities were working side by side on the 3rd and 4th March in the Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență (DSU) Siret training centre, I was participating at the TTX as Advuísor for DSU.
The aim is to train #EUCivilProtectionTeams in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to support Ukraine and Romania following catastrophic flooding.
The CROSSFLOOD table-top exercise was supported by Virtual Reality (VR). VR in exercises are a well-established and successful tool for training and exercise management. At the CROSSFLOOD exercises, the Romanian Virtual Reality simulation team of SMURD is providing this important service.
The FSX will be conducted in September and will cover missions such as flooding assistance, CBRN support, and other civil support capabilities like demining units.
This civil protection project is coordinated by the Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență with its Project Director, Dr Bogdan Pop, and supported by publiComm (PCC). PCC is an Austrian-registered private expert consultancy, specialising in providing advice, administration, management, organisation and support for Civil Protection authorities and organisations. PCC will support DSU by contributing to the project organisation and administration, supporting DSU with technical, logistic and travel management services, procurement and other project-related services.
#EUCivPro
#CivProKnowNet
#StrongerTogether
#publicomm

Bucharest: On 9 and 10 February, a coordination meeting was held with our partner, the Department for Emergency Situations (Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență, DSU) at the Romanian Ministry of the Interior. Together with State Secretary Dr Raed Arafat and Deputy Director General Dr Bogdan Pop, we discussed ongoing projects in detail, agreed on strategic planning for the coming years, analysed current developments in European civil protection and defined future priorities.

I also had the opportunity to participate in the evaluation of national emergency medical assessments (see picture). Both the emergency rescue system and hospital emergency rooms are organisationally anchored in the DSU. I was particularly impressed by the dynamic developments in this area. DSU Romania now has an excellently established quality assurance system.

Dear friends and partners around the world,
the upcoming New Year is the time to unfold new horizons and realise new ideas and dreams, to rediscover the strength and faith within you and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
I would like to thank each of you for your excellent and reliable cooperation, assistance, contributions, support, and friendship throughout this year.
Wishing you a very successful 2026! Stay safe and take care!
Joe

Vienna: on 9th December, I attended the 12. InfoDay for International Disaster Relief, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Interior. Following a longer break, more than 50 experts from EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid, Austrian Fire Services, Austrian Red Cross, several NGOs, and the well-reputed AFDRU (Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit, an Austrian Military Civil Defence Asset) participated in this valuable meeting.

An overview of UCPM missions, news on the EU Civil Protection legislation, about certified and non-certified modules, deployment of Austrian EU Civil Protection experts, and UNDAC deployments was presented.
It was very informative and good to meet friends and acquaintances for a good exchange…
#EUCivPro

#CivProKnowNet
#StrongerTogether

From 23 till 29 March the MODEX EUCPT-TAST was cinduced in Wicklow, Ireland.

We are happy to share with you the media coverage, the exercise has been a huge success and the media interest was very high.
In the media from Ireland several stories and videos have been shared, you can find some of them in the links below:

You can watch yesterdays news on the national television, where you find the exercise review on from 36:29 minutes.

https://lnkd.in/d_a6cBJZ

https://lnkd.in/ds2xriHm

https://lnkd.in/eV44YuJd

https://lnkd.in/dizVJwDz

https://lnkd.in/d9i9tRPr

https://lnkd.in/dFy-sd3m

#EUMODEX #Ireland #strongertogether #EUCivProMechanism

Brussels, DG ECHO: On 10 February was the kick-off meeting of the project CROSSFLOOD, a full scale Civil Protection exercise, funded by DG ECHO. The meeting was chaired by Mariangela Pelliccia, I had the opportunity to meet friends and key contacts from my EUCPT mission to the Baltics last year…
Cross Border Flood Response Exercise in a Post Conflict Environment – CROSSFLOOD is a UCPM Funded Full-scale Exercise aimed at training civil protection organisations and Union Civil Protection Mechanism modules on operating their mission set in a post-conflict environment hit by flooding. 

I want to outline, why I find it very interesting to be part of this project. The Civil Protection landscape is quickly changing, the natural hazards are increasingly replaced by crises, pre- and post-conflict environments and spatial mobility/migration (the actual version of population movement). Therefore, CROSSFLOOD will cover both scenarios, management of disasters (flooding) and post-conflict scenarios (e.g. demining, treatment of UXOs, and CBRN hazards) and their management.
Our partner, the Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență is the coordinator of the project and publiComm is supporting the project coordinator with organisational and logistic management. Resilience Solutions, Bundeswehr University Munich, and NCT Consultants as well as the Ukrainian Lviv State University of Life Safety are competent partners in this challenging project.

#StrongerTogether

#projectmanagement

Self-reflection is a frequent activity for me, and I want to share one thought at the end of the year.
Deciding what you want to achieve in your life and separating what’s important from what’s irrelevant is key to your success…

EU MODEX aims to better prepare EU civil protection modules, response capacities, civil protection authorities and experts for international deployments under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). This series of exercises is an integral preparedness component of the UCPM. This week I was invited to participate in the Trainers Workshop in Ede, The Netherlands. The various EU MODEX exercises utilise teams of selected and experienced coaches/trainers (C/T) to support Modules and participants in achieving specific personal, professional, or team goals by observing and analysing performance and providing coaching, guidance, and training where necessary. The Training of Trainers course aims to prepare EU MODEX C/T of all EU MODEX Lots to effectively fulfil their roles, tasks, and responsibilities in the EU MODEX, and to ensure the coaching/training provision is more predictable in approach and quality.
I enjoyed the course, presented by Sean Moore OBE FInSTR, Alan Pellowe and Karin Rozendal-Grandjean very much and I hope to be a better coach and trainer now, I will find time to do so.
#EUMODEX
#EUCPT-TAST
#EUCivPro
#CivProKnowNet
#StrongerTogether

Dublin, Ireland: the second design meeting for the EUCPT TAST MODEX wasconducted at the National Emergency Coordination Centre in Dublin. All relevant stakeholders attended the meeting, chaired by Bogdan Pop and Paul Rock. The exercise timeline, the scenario and the learning objectives were presented and the poossible contributions of the IOrish stakeholders discussed. This MODEX, to be conducted in March 2025, will be interacting with a National exercise.

In my role as the Project Manager for publiComm GmbH we are covering project assistance and support activities, media and purchases.

The MODEX EUCPT-TAST project is funded by the Europaen Union, DG ECHO, Civil Protection.
#EUMODEX
#EUCPT-TAST
#EUCivPro
#CivProKnowNet
#StrongerTogether

This week I attended as the Project Manger the first design meeting of the project EU MODEX EUCPT-TAST in Tenerife: The exercise management had a three-day conference in Santa Cruz with the CABILDO DE TENERIFE, which is exactly civil protection. The design of the exercise “VULCANICA” were discussed, the time frame adopted, and stakeholders analysed. The meeting was supported by the island government, the president of the Cabildo, Dª Rosa Elena Dávila Mamely visited the meeting and discussed with the Project Director, Dr Bogdan Pop, who presented the project.

The cooperation with the UCPM (Union Civil Protection Mechanism) was very positively mentioned, and the importance of an exercise for a possible volcano eruption was highlighted. The exercise will be held in September 2025 and all relevant authorities on national, regional and local levels will be involved. Three EUCPTs (European Union Civil Protection Team), consisting of six members, supported by a TAST (Technical Assistance and Support Team) of four will do an advisory/scoping mission.

#EUMODEX

#EUCPT-TAST

#EUCivPro

#CivProKnowNet

#StrongerTogether