The NIGHTINGALE Project will conduct a large-scale emergency response exercise in Savona, Italy, testing innovative technologies designed to enhance prehospital triage and incident management during mass casualty scenarios.

NIGHTINGALE Project to Hold Large-Scale Emergency Response Exercise in Savona, Testing Technologies

Press release

• A simulation of the aftermath of a natural disaster and an explosion will test innovative technologies developed by the NIGHTINGALE Project. 

• The exercise will validate how these tools enhance prehospital triage and incident management during mass casualty situations. 

• The full-scale exercise brings together emergency services, civic volunteers and 23 research and industry organisations from 11 countries in Savona, Italy. 

An emergency response exercise simulating two mass casualty incidents will take place in Savona, Italy on Saturday, 5 October 2024. Funded by the European Union, the NIGHTINGALE Project will test innovative technologies used by first responders in the aftermath of simulated scenarios of a natural disaster and an explosion. 

The event is organised and hosted by the Ministero dell’Interno in collaboration with Azienda Sanitaria Locale N.2 Savonese (ASL2) and will see a diverse group of volunteers, including members of civil protection agencies, such as emergency medical services, fire brigades, and police, as well as civic volunteers, participate in the exercise.  

Participants will test the NIGHTINGALE tools, providing valuable feedback on how these technologies streamline prehospital triage, improve response efficiency, and enhance coordination during mass casualty incidents. The technologies that are tested include mobile applications for digital patient monitoring and tracking, incident management and command and control solutions, a next generation Public Safety Answering Point, emergency mobile applications for citizens, a thermographic scanning system, and drones. These tools are designed to assist emergency responders and improve real-time decision-making during crises. 

Marcello Marzoli, Fire Captain at Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco at the Ministero dell’Interno said: 

“The mass casualty incident scenarios highlight the complexities of coordinating a multi-agency response during a large-scale emergency. This exercise is the result of significant effort and collaboration with the 23 partners across eleven countries in the NIGHTINGALE consortium. The exercises offer valuable opportunities to test the capabilities of these technologies in a realistic, yet controlled, environment.” 

Dr. Angelos Amditis, Research and Development Director in the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) and Project Coordinator, said: 

“This second and final full-scale exercise is the largest field validation in the project’s lifetime, marking the culmination of three years of dedicated work. Over the course of the project the NIGHTINGALE toolkit has undergone extensive testing in the framework of a rich training, testing, and validation programme, which includes table-top simulation exercises, laboratory integration tests, small-scale field tests and full-scale field validations in realistic mass casualty incident scenarios.” 

Up to 110 simulated casualties will be triaged and treated using NIGHTINGALE tools, showcasing the project’s potential to revolutionise emergency response. The total number of participants in the field, including victims and First Responders, will be over 300. 

ENDS 

For more information and to arrange an interview with a NIGHTINGALE representative, please contact Aoife O’Mara, Carr Communications, at aomara@carrcommunications.ie  

Notes to the Editor 

More about the NIGHTINGALE Project 

The NIGHTINGALE Project aims to optimise current procedures and methods and to enhance the operational capabilities of emergency medical services and civil protection agencies in mass casualty incidents. NIGHTINGALE is developing a novel integrated toolkit for emergency medical response. This toolkit has been designed for emergency medical services and non-medical civil protection agencies, including fire brigades, police, search and rescue personnel, volunteers, and citizens. 

The toolkit will undergo extensive testing and validation by first responders. This includes practical training exercises, laboratory testing, and small- and full-scale field tests in realistic mass casualty incident scenarios. 

More about the Full-Scale Exercise in Mass Casualty Incident Scenarios 

In the NIGHTINGALE project, a full-scale exercise is a practical training exercise for first responders and citizens in mass casualty incident scenarios. Although many have attempted to quantify what constitutes a mass casualty incident (MCI), the commonly agreed definition of MCI is an incident where the location, number, severity, or type of casualties exceed the resources usually available to local emergency services. Practical drills, such as full-scale exercises, help to prepare first responders, such as paramedics, emergency doctors, fire brigades, police, by testing their crisis response strategies and technical equipment in a controlled and safe environment, so they can be better prepared during actual emergencies. 

Contact information of the NIGHTINGALE Project Coordinator 

Dr Angelos Amditis | Research and Development Director | Institute of Communication and Computer Systems | a.amditis@iccs.gr  

Contact information of the partner responsible for the exercise 

Marcello Marzoli | Fire Captain | Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco | Ministero dell’Interno | marcello.marzoli@vigilfuoco.it  

For more information about the project, please visit the NIGHTINGALE website or for regular updates follow NIGHTINGALE on LinkedIn and X. 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101021957.

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