On November 9, a drill took place simultaneously in the two Lusocolchão buildings in Santarém, as part of the “A Terra Treme” exercise, organised annually by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority. Set against the backdrop of a fire caused by seismic activity and the collapse of structures, with victims reported, the drill involved the mobilisation of Fire Fighting vehicles, Rescue Ambulances and disaster support vehicles from the Santarém Volunteer Fire Brigade. When the first team arrived on the scene, the company’s Safety Officer informed them that this was an exercise. The company’s evacuation team had already taken all the employees to the ‘Meeting Points’ and carried out a count, identifying three victims. One victim was trapped under rolls of fabric and dracalon, one victim fell and was trapped and another victim fell and was assisted by the company’s first aid teams. The aim of the exercise was to test the response capacity of Lusocolchão’s emergency teams and their liaison with the fire brigade. An objective that was successfully completed. The simulated action emphasises the importance of creating routines to assess the effectiveness of the emergency plans in the various buildings of the J.J. Louro Group, in order to guarantee the safety and physical integrity of employees.
