INDIMA project: Pre Exercise Meeting

Innovation and the implementation of contemporary tools are key for the DG ECHO’s Knowledge Network projects. Our participation in the INDIMA PEM (SIMEX pre-exercise meeting) was very important for the projects next step, the SIMEX (simulation exercise). Together with the consortium partners, we were working out the details, participants, venue and final setup. The PEM was held in Békéscsaba, Hungary, from 25. till 29. October 2021, I as INDIMA project manager participated.

The PEM was perfectly organised by the Hungarian Red Cross, Disaster Management Department, led by Dr Brigitta Sáfár. INDIMA project seeks to develop and improve a concept of a holistic approach to disaster risk management by integrating all relevant stakeholders into preplanned joint preparatory and response activities. The consortium running the INDIMA project (INtegrated DIsaster MAnagement) is coordinated by the Emergency Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Romania and has the following entities: Publicomm GmbH, Austria, Hungarian Red Cross, Hungary and iHELP Institute, Poland.

Organisational themes were addressed both in terms of coordination of the exercise (EXCON – exercise control), but also the definition of participating structures, representatives from the four project partners, but also the collaborative structures: Austrian Red Cross, Budapest Water Works, Szegedi Önkentes Tüzoltoés Mentöegyesület (Szeged volunteer fire and rescue service). The discussions were coordinated by the project director (Dr Bogdan Pop, deputy director-general DSU) and project manager (Joe Riener, Publicomm Austria). From the Romanian side, participated: Vladimir Sedei – DSU (Assessment Team Coordinator), Insp. Pr. Pr. Ionut Machiș – DSU (Assessor), Dr Emilia Turucz, ER-SMURD Mureș (XVR team coordinator) and Mr Andrei Poam – Banat Emergency Inspectorate of Timiș County.

The main objective of the INDIMA project, funded by the European Union (ECHO / B / 03 101017), is to develop a concept to optimise cooperation and improve coordination between a wide range of government and non-governmental, civil stakeholders and military as well as public and private. This concept will be tested in a SIMEX (simulation exercise) with approximately 40 participants from several European states, the situation will be viewed in a simulation supported by virtual reality. The objective of this two-day exercise is to test the implementation of the concept, gain knowledge for practice and finally explore and strengthen the synergies between civil protection, humanitarian aid organizations and private entities.