Emergency services test response in major accident drill

A large-scale field exercise to deal with a major traffic accident was held by emergency services on Thursday in the Athienou-Avdellerou area in the Larnaca district, authorities announced on Friday.

The aim was to evaluate at a tactical, operational and strategic level the response, cooperation and coordination of the involved bodies and services under the operational moniker ‘Hippocrates 2025’.

According to an announcement by the health services the exercise was conducted by the ambulance service directorate with the support of the trauma centre and with the participation of the accident and emergency department of the Larnaca general hospital and the Nicosia general hospital.

Also participating were the fire service, the police air operations unit, civil defence, the forestry department, the MSR training group, Support Cy and the Bank of Cyprus.

During the exercise, participants had the opportunity to see if they could improve response times and coordination between services.

“Now, more than ever, we must recognise the importance of continuous education, preparation and vigilance,” a statement from the health services said.

“The challenges we face today, whether they are natural disasters, pandemics or technological accidents, require us to have high levels of coordination, well-trained personnel and resilient operational plans, and these exercises are living proof of our commitment to preparedness and professionalism.”