Zaporizhzhia has been living under the daily threat of shelling for the fifth year now. Each air‑raid alert may result in destruction and loss of life, and it is impossible to predict in advance where and when this may occur.
Since the beginning of the full‑scale war, Zaporizhstal has been systematically conducting comprehensive training exercises for its employees. Employees practise response procedures in the event of emergencies: the provision of first aid, fire‑fighting operations, response procedures for the discovery of explosive objects, as well as the adjustment of production processes to prevent more large‑scale incidents in the event of damage to equipment or energy infrastructure.
This year’s series of such training exercises was launched at the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) Shop, at the ASU‑60 unit.
According to the scenario, damage to the air separation equipment was caused by the crash of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV): a fire broke out in the booster compressor oil tank, the ASU‑60 was shut down, the supply of oxygen and nitrogen was interrupted, an employee was injured, and an explosive object was discovered on the premises.
Personnel practised emergency equipment shutdown, fire containment, response to power outages, evacuation, and the provision of first aid. All services operated in parallel, under conditions as close to real‑life scenarios as possible. Units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, medical personnel and law enforcement agencies were involved in the exercise. Particular attention was paid to coordination between the units and to the work of the emergency response headquarters.
Based on the results of the exercise, the overall assessment was 80 points, corresponding to a 93% level of readiness to respond to military‑related emergencies. At the same time, the exercise also made it possible to identify shortcomings – in particular, in coordination during the detection of explosive objects and in the provision of assistance within potentially hazardous areas.
Eduard KYSLENKO, Head of the Department of Technogenic, Fire Safety and Emergencies:
"During the exercise, we were able to see the mistakes employees make in certain situations. Going forward, our task is to address these issues and prevent their recurrence. Additional training sessions have already been scheduled for the unit: shop managers will repeat the response procedures for the detection of explosive objects, while a separate training session will be conducted for first‑aid teams, with a focus on operating in hazardous areas."
