Guided by the important principle of putting people and life above everything else, the practical drill for emergency response to sudden incidents in Pudong coastal mudflat areas was held on the afternoon of August 26 in the coastal zone of Nanhui New Town, aiming to boost emergency‑response capacity and tackle the technical challenges of rescuing people trapped in coastal silt mudflats. Co‑hosted by Pudong New Area Emergency Management Bureau and Emergency Management Division of Lingang Special Area Administration Committee, the drill brought together police, fire‑rescue, health, maritime authorities and professional rescue teams. Our company took part in the full‑scale exercise as a participating member.
Pudong New Area features long coastline and extensive mudflat wetlands. Rapid tidal changes, highly adhesive silt and poor positioning conditions make mudflat rescue highly risky and technically challenging, which has long been a key subject for emergency services. Conducted in authentic coastal mudflat surroundings, the drill simulated a major emergency with multiple people trapped and missing caused by summer spring tides, to comprehensively verify emergency command workflows, rescue tactics and equipment support capabilities.
Six core modules covered the complete emergency chain including risk warning, target location, on‑site command, multi‑scenario rescue and joint search.
During cruise surveillance, patrol drones carried out routine inspections over mudflats, warned and evacuated people in hazardous zones. This practice shifts emergency management from passive rescue to proactive prevention by moving safety controls forward. Once the emergency scenario unfolded, thermal‑imaging search‑and‑rescue drones took off immediately to pinpoint trapped persons, overcoming difficulties such as sparse landmarks and weak signal coverage across mudflats.
Upon confirmation of the incident, the joint forward command mobilized fire‑rescue, police and medical teams, together with amphibious power boats, hovercraft, work vessels, water excavators and supporting communication & power facilities. The rescue operation achieved efficient coordination: heavy‑duty equipment opened access routes, professional teams conducted close‑range intervention, aerial assets provided continuous support, and differentiated rescue solutions were adopted for various hazard scenarios.
Multiple rescue tactics were deployed for distinct conditions including island‑style entrapment, near‑shore mudflat emergencies and deep‑mud predicaments far from shore. The measures covered aerial delivery of life‑saving supplies, rapid evacuation via hovercraft, pulley traction systems, specialized mud‑rescue hardware, human‑chain advance, rescue platform construction with work vessels and water excavators, as well as drone‑aided deployment of deck panels and winch sets. For missing‑person search, the command established an integrated air‑sea‑land search network in collaboration with Yangshan Port Maritime Bureau and Changhang Public Security Shanghai Branch for perimeter joint operations.
More than 200 personnel joined the drill, with over 70 sets of command, rescue and support equipment deployed to test the overall performance of Pudong’s mudflat emergency‑response system. Our company gained hands‑on experience in cross‑agency coordination and mudflat incident handling throughout the exercise.
Going forward, our company will draw practical insights from this drill, further strengthen internal emergency preparedness and improve inter‑party coordination, contributing to enhanced coastal emergency security capabilities.
Source: Official WeChat Account of Pudong Emergency Management
