Aircraft crush simulation exercise on Mount Chortiatis, in Thesssaloniki

A Cessna 172 aircraft with four passengers takes off from Kavala with final destination Thessaloniki airport. Communication with the Air Traffic Control tower (ATC) is lost before landing, despite the pilot not reporting any technical failure or damage earlier. Immediately the Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) and the Civil Protection are alarmed, while media reports mention that the aircraft crashed in the area of Mount Chortiatis, in Thessaloniki. Hellenic Rescue Team supports the search and rescue mission, which starts immediately, following a call from the Civil Protection.

This was the scenario of the Use Case 2 exercise that was conducted on November 12th on Chortiatis Mountain, as part of the European Project "Search & Rescue," coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens and joined by the Hellenic Rescue Team as a partner.

The main objective of the Use Case 2 exercise was to test and validate a variety of cutting-edge technologies developed by the project's technical partners to support first responders in search and rescue operations in difficult and demanding environments.

These technologies include, among others, wearables, applications for emergency communications and use by volunteer rescuers, an operations center platform utilizing 3D Mixed Reality glasses, as well as Drones combined with Artificial Intelligence. The tests & validations performed have produced findings that will assist in the project's development and, ultimately, in the creation of the most complete technologies feasible.

The presence of officers from the Fire Service, the Hellenic Police, the Forestry Department, the Air Force, the EMS, as well as officials from the Civil Protection Departments of the Region of Central Macedonia and the Municipality of Thessaloniki was crucial to the exercise's performance.

We are particularly grateful for the presence of Ms. Voula Patoulidou, Deputy Prefect responsible for Civil Protection, Mr. Socrates Doris, Deputy Prefect of Transport and Communications, as well as Mr. Stylianos Tamvakidis, Head of the Civil Protection Department of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia - Thrace.

We would also like to thank the Municipality of Pylaia Chortiatis for providing the venue and support, as well as the Forestry Department of Thessaloniki.

The Search & Rescue Project

The Search & Rescue project is implemented under the framework of HORIZON 2020 programme. It has a duration of 36 months and aims to develop an interactive, modular platform that integrates the new generation of technological research and development tools that will be used in future crisis management systems. 28 partners are participating in Search & Rescue, with the National Technical University of Athens coordinating the project.

More information can be found on the project website https://search-and-rescue.eu/ and on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Search-Rescue-Project-103153348164409

Twitter: @SaR_H2020

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/search-and-rescue-project-6b75621b4/

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPLScktP-fwYY8Pg1kaOInQ?view_as=subscriber

Project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 882897