EXERCISE IDASSA 2007

Abstract

The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) conducted the disaster response exercise IDASSA 2007 in the coastal Zadar county of Croatia from 19 to 24 May 2007. Twenty-one Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) nations participated in the exercise, deploying some 55 national expert teams each with the expertise and capability to deal with a different aspect of the fictitious emergency situation. All together, approximately 1,200 participants, including more than 120 observers from 35 countries, took part in the event. IDASSA 2007 allowed NATO and Partner countries to practice disaster response mechanisms and capabilities and to enhance co-operation in emergency situations. The exercise scenario was designed to test best practices of how to respond to a natural disaster and a terrorist threat at the same time, providing an opportunity for civilian responders and military units to work together. The fictional scenario for the field exercise comprised a devastating earthquake, further aggravated by chemical leaks in an industrial seaport and a threat of terrorists using a biological agent on board a passenger plane.