Madrid | September 14, 2018
At 8 o'clock in the morning, under an overcast sky and the distant sound of thunder that left, hours before, the relief of rain, began a new day for most of the people who work and live in the Integral Disability Center of Envera, in Colmenar Viejo.
Around the same time, in Torrejón de Ardoz, at the headquarters of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), a very special convoy was finalizing preparations to intervene in a complex and exceptional mission, not too many kilometers away.
At exactly 9:00 a.m., at the entrance gate, Santi, our barrier guard and head gardener, authorized the advance party of the UME, led by Captain Francisco Javier España, Sergeant 1st Class Cristina Orcajo, Brigadier Javier Antolinez and Corporal 1st Class Eva Hens, to enter our facilities.
Two hours later, more than thirty military personnel, together with docile dogs trained in rescuing people, spectacular all-terrain vehicles, motor-pump trucks and sophisticated rescue equipment, formed an unprecedented operation on the main esplanade of the Envera complex of buildings in Colmenar Viejo.
This is how we could describe the prelude to what would be a unique, fun and exceptional morning for all of us.
A large team of Radio Terrícola, as well as most of Envera's users and professionals, have been front row witnesses of a series of actions perfectly coordinated by the command staff, which have given valuable content to the interview that would be conducted at the end of the rescue drill that was about to begin.
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An emergency drill in a supposedly catastrophic zone in the face of a possible rescue of people inside buildings, or outside, using highly sophisticated techniques and means. Thus, we have seen how several colleagues, crouched under tables or hidden in the most unsuspected corners of the complex, were located with astonishing ease by the search teams. Inside the sports center they have formed several hiding places with the mattresses, as rubble, and there have hidden many other victims of the catastrophe who were immediately located by a specialist rescue dog. There was also a group trapped on the roof of one of the buildings and we saw how they were rescued using an ingenious zip line (by which everyone wanted to be evacuated, even if they did not belong to the trapped group and had no need to be rescued). The motorized pump trucks were also the center of attention when they formed water curtains to protect the crowd from the supposed flames and cooled the atmosphere, chilling to the bone anyone who approached the hoses handled by daring volunteers from residences and occupational centers. Amazed we have seen how, through very sensitive microphones and listening equipment, a practically deaf person was located under the stands of the sports center. It was an exercise in professionalism and a good atmosphere.
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In the radio studio, Captain España, Lieutenant Muñoz and Sergeant 1 Orcajo talked about the UME, their experiences, what it means to them to belong to such an important and decisive corps in critical situations, how this practice has helped them to better understand people with disabilities and how to better cope with certain situations in which it is vital to know the different capabilities.
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They tell us that for them, without a doubt, the best part of their job is being able to help others, and they have shown us that today with their exquisite treatment and knowledge.
As Francisco, our tireless storyteller, says, the name Captain Spain sounds like a super hero, and although he denies it, we know that they all are. They are there every year in floods, fires or snowfalls, saving a lot of lives, solving catastrophic situations and supporting wherever they are needed.
THANK YOU, BRAVE MEN !
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