Exercise “Earthquake in the Western Styria Region”

Last weekend, a large-scale regional civil protection and rescue exercise titled “Earthquake in the Western Styria Region” took place at several locations in the City Municipality of Celje.

🧭 The exercise was based on the scenario that on May 24th, early in the morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of VII–VIII on the EMS-98 scal* struck the Western Styria region, with the epicenter near Žalec. Simulated events included building damage, industrial accidents, evacuations, traffic accidents, urban search and rescue and flood threats.

🛠️ The day before, on Friday, a command post exercise was held by the Civil Protection of the City Municipality of Celje, where strategies and procedures were coordinated for the following day’s field operations, carried out across more than ten locations.

🚒 The field exercise brought together a wide range of participants – including the Celje Professional Fire Brigade, representatives from ministries, regional and municipal services, public services, volunteer organizations, and industrial stakeholders such as Cinkarna Celje, Petrol Gaji, and Istrabenz Plini.

The Novatel team had the opportunity to showcase the capabilities of our ASK EA and ASK EA HQ systems during the exercise. Together with all integrated solutions, they enable efficient alerting, tracking, coordination and intervention management.

We were glad to demonstrate how, using digital tools, it is possible to activate all fire units directly from the Command Center, monitor their field operations, and coordinate activities in real time.

Thank you to all participants for the excellent cooperation and trust. Exercises like these are crucial for strengthening preparedness and fostering collaboration among all stakeholders in crisis situations.

Earthquake in the Western Styria Region was one of the largest exercises of its kind in 2025. It brought together key services and organizations at the national, regional, and local levels. Under realistic conditions, it allowed for the testing of coordination, procedures, and system readiness for effective disaster response.

✅ The event proved just how important joint action and timely communication are among all participants – from firefighters, rescuers, police, military, healthcare workers, to volunteers and industrial entities.

🙏 The City Municipality of Celje and the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief – Celje Branch expressed sincere thanks to all participants for their effort, responsiveness, and professionalism in protecting the population and the environment.

🚧 We also thank the residents of Celje and the surrounding areas for their understanding during temporary road closures and other disruptions necessary for the execution of the Earthquake in the Western Styria Region exercise.

📡 Learn more about our digital crisis communication solutions:
👉 ASK EA
👉 NOVT4000 – Intermediary Location

Want to know more about our solutions?
📩 Write to us at: info@novatel.si