Build up to Trial – The Netherlands
The next Trial in the DRIVER+ project is less than four weeks away and an essential part of the build up to the Trial are the two Dry Runs. These are full rehearsals of the Trial itself and are held to make sure everyone knows what their individual roles are, that the technology has been fully integrated and is doing what it should do.
The second Dry Run for Trial – The Netherlands was held in The Hague during the week of 8th May and five innovative Crisis Management solutions were deployed in an exaggerated flooding scenario. The simulated flood was intentionally excessive, so that a wide range of organisations could be involved in the scenario. The severe inundation threatened a large portion of The Hague’s inhabitants and caused significant damage to the infrastructure of the city. Cascading effects included power outage, flooded roads and railway infrastructure.
Hosted by the Safety Region Haaglanden, over 60 participants took on the challenge. And won.
With the active participation of practitioners from the police, fire service, medical services, municipality, military, the Waterboard and electricity company, public transport as well as international organisations such as EUROPOL, EUROJUST and the International Court of Justice, the Trial will be a major event for the assessment of innovative Crisis Management solutions in Europe.
And now for the real thing
Trial – The Netherlands itself is a two-day tabletop Trial that will take place at the Safety Region Haaglanden on 22nd and 23rd May. This time, the five solutions that are designed to provide Incident Commanders and other Crisis Management professionals with better information to help them do their job more effectively, will be really put through their paces and assessed by these same professionals. Look out for a full report after the Trial.