GOin4SAFETY, the large cross-border civil protection exercise from 5 to 8 June will transform Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba into a single action space for security and cooperation between institutions, civil protection operators and citizens. On Tuesday 3 June, a press conference was held in Piazza Transalpina to officially kick off the week-long event, in the presence of the Italian and Slovenian authorities.

GOin4SAFETY is one of the largest joint exercises ever carried out in the cross-border area. More than 500 operators - including civil protection teams, police forces, fire brigades, volunteers and technicians - will simulate realistic risk scenarios related to environmental emergencies, seismic events, accidents involving hazardous substances and situations related to climate change. The objective: to strengthen the response and coordination capacity between the Italian and Slovenian civil protection systems, with a view to European cooperation, also involving units from Austria, Croatia and Germany.

During the press conference, institutional and technical representatives from the cross-border area shared the value of the GOin4SAFETY exercise as an opportunity for joint growth and strengthening of the civil protection system.

Places and scenarios involved

The civil protection exercise will officially start on 5 June, with the arrival of the various rescue teams and volunteers involved. The vehicles and personnel will begin to converge on the Friulian territory from the early afternoon, making logistical reference to the Duca d'Aosta airport in Gorizia, which will be the nerve centre for the reception and coordination of the rescue operations.

On 6 and 7 June, the territories of Gorizia, Nova Gorica, Šempeter-Vrtojba and the surrounding areas will be the theatre of a complex and articulated exercise, which will involve numerous rescue teams in multiple exercise scenarios, spread between urban contexts and natural areas. The scenarios planned cover a wide range of critical situations and offer the opportunity to test and coordinate the responses of the various components of the civil protection system. For example, forest fires, such as the one simulated in a location between Savogna d'Isonzo and Doberdò del Lago, or searches for missing persons, both on the surface, as at the Gorizia Castle, and under the rubble, with the intervention of specialised dog teams, will be tackled. and Italian and Slovenian firefighters will be involved in the definition of the most complex rescue scenarios and in the preparation of the operational conditions necessary to ensure the effective coordination of interventions. Other scenarios will involve securing cultural property, as in the case of the Gorizia Seminary library, where packing, cataloguing and transferring of documents and objects of historical value will be carried out.

An important component of the exercise will also be dedicated to emergency management at the administrative level, with the direct involvement of the Municipal Operations Centre (COC) of the Municipality of Gorizia, flanked by the operations centres of several neighbouring Slovenian municipalities, such as those of Nova Gorica, Šempeter-Vrtojba, Miren-Kostanjevica, and Renče-Vogrsko, demonstrating cross-border cooperation in planning, coordination and communication during emergencies.

Italian and Slovenian local authorities will work side by side to test the effectiveness of shared protocols and to improve operational integration in real-life situations.

Funding sources and partnership

The GOin4SAFETY exercise stems from the IN4SAFETY project, co-funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme 2021-2027, which supports the development of an integrated risk management and civil protection system in the cross-border area. The Interreg funding for the Goin4SAFETY exercise amounts to approximately EUR 61,000 and is managed by the project partners Institute of International Sociology of Gorica (ISIG) and Gasilska Enota Nova Gorica (GENG, Nova Gorica Fire Brigade). The exercise is also co-financed by the Regional Civil Protection of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (8,000 euro) and by the Municipality of Gorizia (2,000 euro), associated partners of the IN4SAFETY project, as well as by the Slovenian Civil Protection - Regional Office of Nova Gorica (6,500 euro). Triglav Insurance is a partner of the event.

The Civil Protection of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in addition to contributing with a regional co-financing share, supports the mobilisation of the necessary means and human resources for the simulations. Furthermore, it guarantees technical-operational support with its own expert personnel and the activation of emergency protocols. The Municipal Civil Protection of Gorizia contributes with logistical and technical resources, in coordination with the regional and national system. Its role is central in setting up the base camp and managing the activities on the urban territory.

GOin4SAFETY is the result of a concrete alliance between local and international institutions, acting with shared responsibility to ensure a safer, more resilient and interconnected future for citizens.