The Portuguese Army will organize the largest national exercise in the field of Military Emergency Support from November 17 to 21 in the Lisbon region.
This exercise will involve more than 300 personnel and 100 vehicles, aiming to test and validate the coordinated response of the Military Emergency Support System of the Army to support requests from the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in response to a scenario of a major earthquake in the Lisbon sub-region.
The “FÉNIX 25” exercise aims to train the response capability of various military branches to support requests from the civil protection structure, emphasizing capabilities in command, control and communications, land search and rescue, military engineering, medical support, decontamination, and canine operations (activities with dogs).
The event will see support and participation from various entities, including the Air Force, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, volunteer firefighters, Lisbon City Council, Portuguese Red Cross, National Republican Guard, Public Security Police, Municipal Police, Special Civil Protection Force, and the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment.
The goal is to standardize procedures and validate interoperability criteria.
In 2024, the Fénix exercise tested the Civil Protection’s response capacity to combat rural fires in the municipalities of Nelas, Seia, and Oliveira do Hospital.
