On 29 May 2025, one of the largest chemical risk drills in recent years took place in Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre. Organised by the Government of Catalonia's Civil Protection, the exercise tested the response to a hypothetical toxic leak, mobilising technical, operational and public resources.
In total, 55 emergency sirens across 14 industrial municipalities were activated, with a clear result: all of them worked correctly. What's more, around 90% of the affected population heard the signal and understood the shelter-in-place instructions.
🏭 A drill covering critical infrastructure and the civilian population
The exercise is part of Plaseqta, the External Emergency Plan for Tarragona's chemical sector, which covers technological risk scenarios such as hazardous substance leaks. This time, more than 200,000 people were theoretically sheltering in place during the 3 minutes the sirens sounded.
The main aim was to check that the audible warning systems, remote supervision platforms and inter-agency protocols work together reliably.
The evaluation covered:
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Activation time and synchronisation
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Actual sound output under environmental conditions
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Communication between control centres (CECAT and local)
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Public reaction
🛠️ Public warning systems designed for real conditions
Lafcarr plays an active part in this safety network, having designed, installed and maintained many of the sirens used in the exercise. We don't just build devices: we integrate them into operational networks adapted to each environment.
Key features of our solution:
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📶 Redundant communication: radio link, IP, GPRS
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🔊 Acoustic coverage validated by propagation studies
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🔧 Predictive maintenance to guarantee 24/7 availability
These sirens are not passive elements: they are part of a living infrastructure, connected, monitored and designed for highly demanding scenarios. Because when an emergency signal goes off, there is no margin for error.
📊 Public participation and validation of the system
An early warning system only works if it reaches the people it's meant to protect. That's why it matters so much that, according to Civil Protection, 90% of residents in at-risk areas heard the sirens and understood they had to shelter in place.
This underlines the importance of:
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Prior awareness campaigns
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Clear acoustic signals (tone, duration, repetition)
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Correct system sizing for urban density
Combining reliable technical infrastructure with an informed public is the basis of an effective response to chemical emergencies.
🧪 Why are these drills essential?
Drills are not just rehearsals: they are full audits of the civil protection system. They make it possible to:
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✅ Check that all equipment works
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🤝 Test coordination between local, regional and industrial bodies
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🔍 Identify areas for improvement before a real emergency
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📣 Strengthen a culture of prevention among the public
At Lafcarr we believe that testing the system in real conditions is the only way to guarantee it is ready to act. Building well is only the start; constant verification is what makes the difference.
📌 Conclusion: 55 sirens activated, a proven safety network
This drill was not just a technical success. It was a demonstration of operational maturity, public involvement and commitment to prevention. For Lafcarr, it validated years of continuous field work developing solutions for high-risk environments such as the Camp de Tarragona.
We will keep working so that every siren we install is more than a device: part of a real, efficient national risk management strategy.
📎 Read the story in El Periódico →
📺 News summary on 3Cat/TV3 →
🔗 See Lafcarr's official post →
