POWIDZ, Poland – Sirens echoed across the base as smoke rose from a fire near a U.S. military housing area. Within minutes, American and Polish emergency teams were side by side—treating the injured, securing the scene, and putting their combined readiness to the test.
Thankfully, the smoke was simulated and the victims dressed in moulage, but the lessons learned from the emergency services exercise in Powidz, May 15 were real.
“This was a Polish-led emergency drill, but we were part of the scenario setup and played victims,” said Michael Glover, U.S. Army Garrison Poland Fire Chief. “Polish responders managed both incidents quickly and professionally. It’s exactly what we want to see—fast, effective response from our host nation partners.”
Video: U.S. Soldiers and Polish emergency responders conduct a joint emergency services exercise in Powidz, Poland, on May 15, 2025. The training included a simulated fire and staged vehicle collision, with Polish and American medics, firefighters, and law enforcement working side by side to assess and treat mock casualties. Visual elements include role players in moulage, emergency response actions, and partnership moments between U.S. and Polish personnel.
The scenario involved two emergency events: a simulated fire in a U.S. tent camp and a staged vehicle collision between a Polish fire truck and a U.S. military transport. Eight individuals—five American Soldiers and three Polish firefighters—role-played as injured and treated on site.
“We drilled it like it was real,” said 1st Lt. Jeffrey Cooley, treatment platoon leader with the Texas Army National Guard’s 162nd Medical Company – Area Support. “Our medics responded quickly, and this gave us a rare opportunity to work through the full process with our Polish counterparts—from point of injury to treatment. That kind of coordination is what makes us stronger together.”
Support came from multiple Polish response units, including Państwowa Straż Pożarna – state fire from the nearby city of Słupca, local volunteer fire brigades, the Żandarmeria Wojskowa (Polish Gendarmerie), local police, and medical personnel. The event also involved county and municipal crisis management teams, operating under Poland’s National Firefighting and Rescue System. Powidz located about 50 miles from garrison and V Corps headquarters in Poznan, serves as the logistical heartbeat of American forces on NATO’s Eastern Flank.
The U.S. medical response was coordinated by the 162nd MCAS, who provided ambulances and ran casualty care operations from a field clinic.
Specialist Brenda Cabrera, one of the medics on scene, worked directly with a Polish counterpart despite the language barrier.
“He didn’t speak English, but we figured it out,” Cabrera said. “Medical response is universal. You point, you show what you need, and they get it. My NCO helped bridge the gap and made sure communication didn’t slow us down.”
The exercise was led by Col. Arkadiusz Golonka, commander of the 33rd Air Base, and Marek Dąbrowski, district administrator or starosta of Słupca County—underscoring the tight civil-military cooperation that supports emergency readiness in the region.
Glover said exercises like this emergency service exercise help validate Poland Provided Logistical Support and reinforce U.S. Army Garrison Poland status as an enabling platform for U.S. rotational forces.
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