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According to the story, there was a terrorist act in one of the rooms, and fire started as a result. The task of the rescue team was to evacuate all visitors and personnel, and deal with the consequences of the fire. “We understand the importance of the Expoforum as a project and all events which take place within it”, Igor Ulubikov, the head of the press service of the Chief Administration of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in St. Petersburg, explains. “As a result, we decided to carry out an exercise based on one of the scenarios in order to test the joint operation of the various services – firemen, medics, policemen as well as representatives of Vodocanal, Lenenergo, Lengas, services operating at the premises.”

In order to demonstrate everything clearly, an imitation smoke screen was used, “victims” were made up very naturally to look like they were wounded – it is part of a fireman’s psychological training. Victims were taken out of the Expoforum premises to a specified evacuation point, while the “badly wounded” were pulled out by rescuers, carried on stretches to ambulances and life support vehicles. A group was taken off the roof, using climbing equipment – special telescopic staircases and mountain climbing equipment. Three helicopters were also used to deal with the consequences of the emergency: two К-32 helicopters and one “heli-drive” which can land practically anywhere – the Automobile Ring Road, a field, a parking lot – allowing victims to be quickly taken to hospital. One of the helicopters discharged 3 tons of water, demonstrating the possibility of putting out fires from the air.

A mobile command station was set up in the Expoforum parking lot. This is how the headquarters are located during a disaster or emergency, from where communications with the various services, ministries and bodies of state authority are organised. The exercise lasted 20 minutes, and the results clearly demonstrated that all services are ready for an emergency  in the Expoforum!