Exercises of the rescue services at the Koryta Rest and Service Area

State Fire Service units performed exercises on the Lubuskie section of our motorway as part of continuous cooperation between the road manager and rescue services. The purpose of the exercises is to improve safety on the motorway in terms of ensuring efficient and quick assistance in the event of an accident. This time the scenario assumed chemical and ecological rescue operations to eliminate the effects of a leak of a hazardous substance from a delivery vehicle.

On 22 June rescue exercises under the “2023 Transport” encrypted name took place at the Koryta Rest and Service Area. Lubuskie firefighters improved their response, identification of hazardous materials and neutralization of threats arising from accidents in road transport. Specialized chemical and ecological rescue groups from the Lubuskie province and the State Fire Service units performing such activities in the basic scope improved their cooperation skills.

The exercises began at 10:30 am with an arranged leak of a hazardous substance from a delivery vehicle. A complete information and action procedure was launched: starting from notifying the Central Control Room, instantly transferring information to the relevant services, securing the scene, through the arrival of fire brigades from the stationing places, to helping the injured people, neutralizing the threat and cleaning the leak site.

This is a permanent element of the cooperation of Autostrada Wielkopolska with the rescue services. We organize such exercises periodically so that motorway and service employees can practice certain behaviors, reaction speed and coordination in a safe, simulated situation. Consequently, in case of incident on the motorway, everyone knows what to do to help the victims efficiently and quickly. For Autostrada Wielkopolska, the manager of the A2 concession section, road safety is a priority, therefore we support the services and act together to provide efficient and effective assistance in the event of a real threat or accident – says Michał Pabich, road safety expert at Autostrada Wielkopolska II S.A.

8 State Fire Service units took part in the exercises, a total of over 40 firefighters, including m. Specialized Chemical and Ecological Rescue Group from Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski and Specialized Technical Rescue Group from the Gorzów State Fire Service Headquarters. The action was part of a training conference aimed at presenting the problem of the transport of expressways, including international transit, in the context of rescue operations in the event of a threat. The conference was organized by Autostrada Wielkopolska II S.A., Autostrada Eksploatacja S.A. and the Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Gorzów Wielkopolski. Due to the location of the Lubuskie section of the A2 motorway near the border, the conference was attended by, inter alia, the representatives of the Fire Service School in Eisenhuttenstadt, Germany.

In addition to regular field training, the representatives of Autostrada Wielkopolska managing the A2 concession section, and Autostrada Eksploatacja meet monthly with the representatives of the uniformed services operating on the motorway: the State Fire Service, the Police, the Road Transport Inspection, the National Revenue Administration and the Border Guard. Unusual cases from the last 30 days are discussed and analyzed in order to further improve cooperation in similar interventions, and activities and cooperation are planned for the next period.

Real events on the motorway or other road are accompanied by time pressure and stress. Reaction has to be quick and the coordination of actions appropriate. Upon practice and subsequent discussion of individual situations and drawing appropriate conclusions, during the actual intervention everyone knows their tasks and proceeds without hesitation – adds Michał Pabich.

The rules of proper conduct in the event of an accident, fire, disaster or other threat have been collected and described in the so-called Rescue Action Plan updated on an ongoing basis. This allows to make the organization and performance of rescue operations on the motorway as efficient as possible. The rules also define the coordination of actions and competences of all services involved in handling of incidents on the motorway. The Rescue Action Plan developed on the A2 concession section is currently used by other road managers in Poland as a model.

Please be reminded that dangerous events, including accidents or collisions on Autostrada Wielkopolska can also be reported to a 24/7 SOS number: 61 83 83 112, in addition to 112 emergency number.