IDMEX consortium
PCC was a member of the IDMEX consortium, conducting two tenders for 2018 Lot 2 (Plug-in Exercises) and Lot 3 (Host Nation Support table-top exercises – HNS TTX) for DG ECHO. Both projects were new developments, so Lot 2 was a PIX (plug-in exercise) for EU modules and EUCPT in the Caribbean in September 2019 and Lot 3 was the creation and conducting of three TTX (tabletop exercises) for HNS (Host Nation Support) after disasters.
Lot 3 IDMEX – HNS TTX
The objective was to design, plan, conduct and self-evaluate host national support tabletop exercises for key actors of the UCPM response, including the ERCC and its main interlocutors at European, national and international levels.
The ultimate scope was to increase the exchange of procedures and best practices regarding hosting and coordination of the incoming international assistance in a non-EU affected country and in a participating state, increase knowledge of the EU Host Nation Support Guidelines and identify possible areas for improvement in the institutional and operational emergency response framework.
The main exercise scenario was severe flooding in Austria and was designed so that the following actions were covered:
- HNS legal framework in the host country
- Consular assistance in disaster response
- Scenario in a complex environment
The HNS TTX took place in Eisenerz, Austria (inside EU), Mirdite, Albania (outside EU) and Accra, Ghana (outside Europe) and were risk-based exercise scenarios (flooding, earthquake, epidemic outbreak) in each region and were designed in a scale-up approach.
Lot 2 IDMEX – Plug-in Exercises
The PIX was designed, planned, conducted and evaluated in close cooperation with the European Commission and the hosting organisations. The PIX provided real-life circumstances to test and learn for international activations of the mechanism, including the interactions of modules, TAST, EUCPT, and UNDAC with a specific focus on the broader emergency response community.
The severe destruction caused by Hurricane Eurian on the islands of Bonaire and Curação overwhelmed local capacities of emergency response, making a request for international assistance necessary. The Reception and Departure Centre (RDC) at Curação International Airport registers incoming international response teams.
These PIX took place in close cooperation with the hosting organisation, relevant national authorities and local emergency management, NGOs, UN bodies e.g. UNDAC or the wider humanitarian actors, Red Cross/Crescent, dependent on the scenario given in the full-scale fields exercise.
Every PIX lasted three full days (excluding travel times). Together, the staff and the project management team will ensure a complete exercise activity by following a holistic approach to the project implementation.
The two PIX were conducted in the Caribbean with the Royal Dutch Navy (as the main contributor), and the test of a real hand-over/take-over between EU Civil Protection teams (EUCPT) is foreseen.