Visitors and beach attendees at Las Teresitas beach were taken aback yesterday, on Tuesday, by the extensive display of resources executed by Citizen Security and Emergency services of the City Council for a rescue and lifesaving exercise named “SALSOC-SC24”. This drill aimed to evaluate the coordination, response, and capacities of all personnel and technical resources in case of an emergency. Civil Protection, Spanish Red Cross, and Local Police members worked diligently during this rescue training in the marine environment proposed by CETRA-Cecopal technicians and coordination.
The Councilor for Citizen Security and Emergencies at the Santa Cruz council, Gladis de León, also participated in the operation and closely monitored the progress of all individuals involved. “Drills of this magnitude enable us to assess various aspects that would allow us to react more efficiently and cohesively in a real emergency situation; in addition, we have set up an impressive operation on the beach in terms of coordination, rescue efforts, healthcare, security, maritime rescue resources, with aerial or aquatic drones,” explained the mayor.
De León emphasised that “all resources utilised in the drill are accessible for any eventuality within the standard rescue and lifeguard service that will be fully operational from June 1 on the primary beaches and maritime swimming areas in our municipality.” The councilor was present at the preparatory coordination meetings and the three exercises conducted, highlighting “the exceptional professionalism and safety demonstrated by all participants, a crucial factor in the event of emergencies of this nature in the aquatic environment.”
A Remarkable Exercise at Las Teresitas
Traditionally, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council reveals the security and emergency protocol for the municipality’s coasts in June. But this year, the Citizen Security and Emergency service decided to carry out the “SALSOC-SC24” drill, which is likely to become a regular occurrence, to examine and fine-tune all municipal resources through a variety of exercises.
The drill conducted yesterday was meticulously coordinated and treated as a genuine emergency, maintaining communication with CECOES-112 Canarias and the regional headquarters of the Spanish Red Cross. This involved collaboration with the Cecopal Santacrucero Transmission Center (CETRA) and the Local Police. While the commencement of the drill was broadcasted using the public address system at Santa Cruz beach, many beach-goers observed the emergency teams in action from various vantage points.
This operation involved three distinct exercises, necessitating the collaboration of additional personnel. The final section of Las Teresitas beach was selected for this trial, which assessed the response effectiveness in an emergency, the competency of personnel, the level of preparedness for a potential real scenario, the adequacy and suitability of the assigned resources, as well as operational procedures.
Although the drill began from the position where the Spanish Red Cross operates on the beach, a multitude of technical resources were employed, with the innovative use of an aquatic drone enabling assistance to a person at sea without direct involvement of a rescuer. Additionally, “OneUp” rescue devices, jet skis, and two basic life support ambulances were utilised.
Extending the operation were teams comprising health rescuers and aquatic environment specialists, three aerial drones from Civil Protection, the Spanish Red Cross, and even the Local Police drone team, alongside officers stationed on the beach. The Civil Protection vessel participated in observing the “SALSOC-SC24” drill.
Three Challenging Scenarios
The drill comprised the enactment of three diverse exercises between 10:00 and 12:30 yesterday, covering around 17,000 m2, including sandy areas, the sea surface at Las Teresitas, and the beach breakwater. The initial test unfolded in the inner maritime zone of the beach near the breakwater, where lifeguards sighted a distressed individual from the shore. The aquatic drone played a pivotal role in this scenario, swiftly reaching the individual with a rescuer and safely bringing them ashore within minutes, where the initial medical response team awaited.
The second exercise involved responding to an alert from another individual in the water, located outside the beach breakwater, in distress. An aerial drone was dispatched to pinpoint the location, transmitting the data to dispatch the rescue jet ski and its designated rescue team. The rescued individual was subsequently attended to by a nurse, lifeguards, and emergency technicians (TES) upon reaching the shore.
The final exercise was the most intricate, simulating a situation whereby a citizen reported the capsizing of several non-motorised aquatic recreational items outside the northern mouth, leaving four individuals stranded in the sea. “OneUp” warning devices were deployed from the shore to reach the affected individuals, ensuring their safety until emergency resources arrived. Aerial drones were deployed to confirm the incident area, with CECOES-112 Canarias, Cecopal, Local Police, and COA of the Spanish Red Cross alerted, supported by the Civil Protection zodiac.
A series of sea rescues and transfers to the beach were initiated, with the Local Police notified since minors were also among the affected individuals. The assistance demanded by multiple victims put the rescuers, first responders, coordinators, health professionals from both the Spanish Red Cross and Santa Cruz Civil Protection Volunteer Group to the test.
The officers provided security coverage on the beach for healthcare operations, identified the affected individuals, and coordinated the evacuation of one victim by reporting the traffic conditions in the area using the police drone team. The exercise concluded with a police escort accompanying the ambulance to the designated healthcare facility, followed by an assessment meeting involving all resources and the report compiled by various official observers of the exercise.
