THREE PROTECTION, RESCUE AND RELIEF EXERCISES IN THE EVENT OF ROAD TUNNEL ACCIDENTS

Abstract

In 2015, two new road tunnels opened in Slovenia, namely the Markovec tunnel on the road between Koper and Izola and the Sten tunnel on the Škofja Loka bypass. Just before bringing the tunnels into operational use, the system of protection, rescue and relief took the opportunity to organize exercises in both tunnels to test the readiness and competence of various rescue workers to intervene in the event of accidents. The third such exercise in the event of a road tunnel accident was prepared in the Podnanos tunnel on the trunk road Vipava – Razdrto. Exercises on the same topic were thus carried out in three different regions, namely the Coastal, the Northern Primorska and the Gorenjska region, yet they all had different scenarios, different numbers of vehicles involved, different numbers of passengers injured, different injury severities, and different numbers of firefighters, paramedics, police officers and other participants involved. In all three exercises, rescue workers demonstrated good knowledge and skills, yet also mistakes and minor errors which they will try to eliminate in the future education and training, and better prepare for the best possible intervention in cases of emergency.