On 28 May 2026, the complex civil protection exercise FIREVAC 2026 took place in the bay of Pugnochiuso, in the Municipality of Vieste. 

The exercise scenario simulated the evacuation by sea of guests from a tourist facility in the bay of Pugnochiuso, following a wildfire that broke out in the area behind the resort, making land escape routes unusable. The activity made it possible to test communication flows among the different components of the system, operational procedures for evacuation by sea, the response capacity of the municipal civil protection structure, and interaction among the bodies involved.

FIREVAC 2026 involved more than 150 people, including institutional operators and volunteers, with naval and land assets deployed in a realistic and complex scenario. The exercise confirmed the importance of prevention, training and interinstitutional coordination as key tools to strengthen the resilience of the regional civil protection system.

On the occasion of FIREVAC 2026, the Civil Protection and Emergency Management Department of Puglia Region also participated through the use of equipment purchased under the Resilience project, of which the Department is a partner.

The use of project equipment during a complex exercise such as FIREVAC 2026 is a concrete example of how European cooperation can translate into operational tools to support local territories and enable more effective emergency management.

The exercise was coordinated by the Maritime Directorate of Bari and the Civil Protection and Emergency Management Department of Puglia Region, with the involvement of the Municipality of Vieste, the Vieste Maritime District Office, the Foggia Fire Brigade, the 118 emergency medical service, police corps, the Regional Agency for Irrigation and Forestry Activities ARIF and civil protection volunteers from local associations.

The project "RESILIENCE - Promotion of territorial resilience in the South Adriatic" aims to strengthen response capacity to risks related to climate change, emergencies, water scarcity and wildfires.
The Resilience project is the result of cooperation among Puglia Region, Civil Protection and Emergency Management Department, together with Acquedotto Pugliese, Molise Region, the National Agency for Civil Protection of Albania, the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro - Directorate for Protection and Rescue, and the Regional Waterworks of the Montenegro.

Watch the VIDEO of the EVACUATION EXERCISE published by the Municipality of Vieste.

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