LSCT: Extraordinary drill – managing emergencies in port

On Tuesday, December 17th, at the La Spezia Container Terminal, an extraordinary combined drill will take place, involving the Fire Brigade, 118, Port System Authority, Guardia di Finanza, Border Police, port chemist, and Sepor.

LA SPEZIA – The Command of the Harbor Office – Coast Guard of La Spezia, in collaboration with La Spezia Container Terminal, is the promoter of this initiative, whose objective is to verify the degree of preparation, coordination, functionality, and effectiveness of the different teams that have the task of intervening in Porto, in case of emergency.

The scenario of the simulation was the following: during the handling of a container of dangerous, flammable and toxic goods, a sudden spill generates a fire. The reach stacker driver is involved and requires medical attention. The emergency triggers the intervention of several operators, involved in first aid interventions: fire-fighting operations, evacuation, and containment procedures for spilled toxic materials.

The main purpose of the exercise is to analyze the capacity of the rescue chain to activate and respond correctly, during the various phases of the emergency, activating the contingency plan, communicating in an effective and timely manner and following all the correct operating procedures.

At the end of the exercise, the performance of the rescue team will be evaluated, together with the outcome of emergency plans, the preparation times of the operators, the execution times of the procedures, communications, emergency management procedures, information sharing, coordination of resources at sea and logistics chain on the ground and evacuation procedures.

This exercise is part of a broader training project implemented by La Spezia Container Terminal to enhance the safety and security of its personnel, with a specific focus on emergency management. The project was started in 2019, with training in the use of defibrillators which have been installed in the terminal area.

The project is carried out with the support of the National School of Transport and Logistics (Scuola Nazionale dei Trasporti e della Logistica). These initiatives introduce an element of innovation within the traditional training process, which generates positive knowledge spillovers, a benefit for the whole “system” and the territory.