On 14-15 September 2010, the Protection and Rescue Department of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina managed the implementation of a field exercise on "terrorist attack response and relief management".

According to the simulation, on 14 September flight controllers at Sarajevo International Airport received a call from the pilot of flight 413, seeking permission to land as the plane was hijacked by an unknown terrorist group. All national actors involved in terrorism crisis management, including the National Operations and Communications Center – 112, were immediately informed and activated to solve the crisis.

On 15 September at 08:30, the Border Police confirmed to the 112 that a number of passengers were held in an Airport building by unidentified armed hijackers. Terrorists were asking for the release of their comrades from prison and for a departure by a special airplane or, if their demands were not met, they would have executed one passenger every hour. Police negotiators started negotiating the hijackers' demands while local security forces, a special police unit, and medical and firefighting teams arrived and were deployed in the area.

In the following simulation scenes special forces intervened to free a group of hostages during the bus transfer to the place of take-off while the terrorists still in the building engaged the security personnel in a conflict, injured two policemen, escaped with some hostages and leave all the others with an activated chemical poison gas.

Eventually terrorists were captured and the hostages freed. First medical aid was provided to the hostages and the consequences of the poison gas were dealt with, including transport of injured by an helicopter.

Based on the assessment that the relief forces after the terrorist attack were not sufficient to carry out a full search of the airport, the National Operational/Communications Center – 112 and NATO activated and coordinated international assistance (through the CBRN Decontamination Team of the State Protection and Rescue Authority, Republic of Croatia).

Over 350 persons from 15 national institutions, 3 neighboring countries institutions - Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia- and 3 international bodies participated to the simulation exercise. A full exercise analysis including lessons learned and recommendations is made available for download thanks to Mrs. Olga Slagalo, PPRD South National Correspondent for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Flooding and landslides caused major damages to three PPRD South Balkan Partner Countries – Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia - during the first week of December.

More than 11,000 people were evacuated from their homes in northwestern Albania due to floods that hit the country after 10 days of uninterrupted rainfall. About 7,500 houses were damaged and 2,600 others completely flooded. The state of emergency was declared in the city of Shkodra, which remained isolated from the rest of the country. In several parts of the town the water level reached more than two meters and the electricity was cut off. At least 1,400 police and soldiers were deployed in the northern Albanian regions to help with the evacuation of residents and to secure food for them.

It is the first time that a risk assessment process, led by the Protection and Rescue Service of the Ministry of Security, is carried out with a unified methodology on the whole territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This process which involves various national institutions will lead to the preparation of the document “Risk Assessment Regarding Natural and Other Disasters in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

The Framework Law on Protection and Rescue of People and Property in the event of Natural or other Disasters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, published in 2008, is the basis for the “Risk Assessment” document which is necessary for the preparation of the national “Plan of Protection and Rescue” and for the definition of a national “Protection and Rescue Capacities Development Programme”.

This presentation was made by the National PPRD South National Correspondent at the First National Correspondents Meeting organised in Rome on 21-22 July 2009.

Download the presentation