On October 10, 2025, the Podyjí National Park became the venue for a large-scale tactical exercise involving Czech and Austrian rescue services. The operation focused on extinguishing a simulated forest fire, rescuing visitors to the park, and strengthening cross-border coordination between emergency units. This exercise not only tested the readiness of the participating teams but also showcased the importance of international cooperation in addressing growing wildfire risks in Central Europe.
CENIA, the Czech Environmental Information Agency, took advantage of this unique opportunity to actively participate within the framework of the Wildfire-CE project, which aims to improve the prevention, preparedness, and management of natural fire risks in cross-border and vulnerable regions.
As part of the project’s implementation in the Podyjí National Park, CENIA collaborates closely with its partner CzechGlobe – the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The Podyjí National Park Administration and the South Moravian Regional Fire Department have been key stakeholders since the very beginning of the initiative, contributing their local expertise and operational experience.
The exercise provided an invaluable opportunity to test one of the project’s practical outputs — a newly developed online platform for fire risk assessment — under realistic conditions. This tool integrates environmental data, risk modelling, and operational planning features to support decision-making in emergency response. By verifying the platform’s performance and evaluating the effectiveness of action plans in a real environment, the event marked an important milestone in the project’s ongoing efforts to enhance preparedness and transnational cooperation in wildfire management across Central Europe.