Provincial Tactical Exercises Held at Grupa Azoty S.A.

On October 9, Grupa Azoty S.A. hosted provincial tactical exercises, code-named "AZOTY 2024," on its premises. The exercise aimed to familiarize all participants with fire safety conditions and potential operational challenges at a high-risk industrial site, while enhancing their emergency response skills in such facilities.

The four-hour exercise covered several scenarios to coordinate multiple units' response efforts. These included a pressurized tank explosion, a leak at a tanker coupling on the rail siding, an uncontrolled collapse of structural elements during demolition work, and a temperature rise in reaction columns.

Participants included Grupa Azoty S.A.'s Fire Brigade, Cyclohexanone Division Rescue Teams, the company's dispatcher, units and resources from the State Fire Service of the Małopolska province, Volunteer Fire Brigades, and the security service for the Tarnów facility. The exercise also utilized Grupa Azoty S.A.'s medical ambulance.

The scale of the operation underscored the number of involved services and institutions. The exercises were conducted in cooperation with Grupa Azoty S.A.'s Fire Brigade, the Tarnów Municipal Command of the State Fire Service, the Kraków Provincial Command of the State Fire Service, and Volunteer Fire Brigades from Tarnów-Rzędzin, Wojnicz, Żabno, Gromnik, and Zgłobice.

Also engaged in the event were Grupa Azoty S.A. management, departmental rescue teams, site security, the police, ambulance service (in a practical capacity), Energy Emergency Services (in a practical capacity), gas emergency services (in a practical capacity), the Tarnów City Council, the Tarnów County Office, and the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Kraków, Tarnów Branch.

"The exercises provided an excellent opportunity to assess Grupa Azoty S.A.'s operational preparedness for rescue actions. The scope covered firefighting, chemical-ecological, high-altitude, and technical rescue activities. We also evaluated communication, alert systems, and the tactical and technical capabilities of rescue equipment. It was a chance to review the knowledge and skills of individual units and employees, from operators and foremen to shift managers, coordinators, firefighters, and technology leaders. We commend the exemplary cooperation with the State Fire Service, both municipal and provincial, as well as with Volunteer Fire Brigades, with whom we work not only in supervisory capacities but, above all, in times of crisis. I sincerely thank everyone involved for their full commitment,"said Jacek Zapart, the Chief of Grupa Azoty S.A.'s Fire Brigade.