The Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelsen) has had to cancel an important nuclear exercise due to budget cuts. Facing significant financial challenges, the agency made the decision to cancel the planned nuclear exercise, Contex 24. This move comes as a direct result of the need to save over nine million kroner for the remainder of the year.
Contex 24, short for Contamination Exercise, is a significant exercise held every two years in Finderup, Midtjylland. The exercise is designed to train the Emergency Management Agency, the Defense, international experts, and several other authorities in handling a potential nuclear accident in Denmark.
Chief Sergeant and union representative at the Emergency Management Agency, Ulrik Mosekjær, stated to DR that the exercise is essential for the agency’s ability to respond effectively in an emergency. “We practice to train our procedures and improve our skills. Sometimes you discover a small error during an exercise, which we can then correct so that mistakes are not made in reality,” he says.
The Emergency Management Agency has previously highlighted the Contex exercise as a significant part of their emergency preparedness, especially in light of increased geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In mid-June, the Emergency Management Agency also issued a series of recommendations to citizens to strengthen their home emergency preparedness. The advice included households being able to fend for themselves for three days and having water and food in stock. Additionally, the recommendations for iodine tablets were updated, with children, young people, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and adults under 40 being encouraged to have iodine tablets at home.
Iodine tablets can prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland, which can reduce the risk of cancer in the event of nuclear incidents, especially in children and young people, according to the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).