Ravels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ravels fire department and municipality seek 300 volunteers for a March 19, 2026, disaster drill at De Wouwer centre. Coordinator Sam Maerien leads the large-scale exercise.
As VRT News reported, the fire department and the municipality of Ravels, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, are calling for 300 volunteers to join a large-scale disaster exercise on March 19, 2026. The drill will test emergency preparedness and the coordination of fire, medical, and municipal teams during a major incident.
What is happening in Ravels’ March 19 drill with 300 volunteers led by Sam Maerien?
Sam Maerien, the municipality’s emergency response coordinator, said the drill will focus on the De Wouwer community centre. A 3-hour evacuation will take place on the evening of the exercise. Maerien added that smaller evacuation drills have been done at the centre before, but never on this scale.
“Together with the fire department, police, and medical services, we’ll explore how this can be done smoothly, where people will go, and what the flow will be like outside,”
Sam Maerien said.
The large-scale disaster exercise in Ravels is open to everyone, including people who do not live in the municipality.
“You do have to be at least 18 years old; that’s for insurance reasons,”
says Marien.
“But people in wheelchairs, for example, are also welcome, so it can be a realistic exercise.”
“It’s a unique behind-the-scenes look that you rarely get and hopefully shouldn’t get too much of ”
Emergency Plan Coordinator Sam Marien
“It’s a unique look behind the scenes. If something goes wrong, how the fire department and police respond that’s a glimpse you rarely get, and hopefully, you shouldn’t get too much.”
Anyone who wants to take part can register on the Ravels municipality website. Officials encourage volunteers from across the region to join the exercise and take an active role in the operations. By including members of the public, authorities hope to improve awareness of safety procedures.
In the past, Ravels held a number of emergency drills at the De Wouwer community centre. In 2018 and 2021, smaller exercises evaluated fire response and police coordination. Other Belgian cities have also carried out large emergency drills in recent years.
In 2019, Antwerp held a chemical spill exercise, which involved coordinating fire, police, and medical teams. In 2020, Ghent conducted a flood evacuation exercise with hundreds of volunteers. In 2021, Leuven held an exercise that included a jungle gym fire and the subsequent evacuation from the building.
Comments
13 responses to “Ravels Seeks 300 Volunteers for Drill Led by Sam Maerien”
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300 volunteers for a disaster drill? Blimey, sounds like my last team meeting – minus the snacks! 🤷♂️ Hope Sam Maerien doesn’t take ‘drill’ too literally, or we might need more than just volunteers! 😂
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300 volunteers for a disaster drill? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a casual Tuesday night, eh? 🥳 Who wouldn’t want to play pretend with firemen and cops while practicing for the end of the world! 😂
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300 volunteers for a disaster drill? Brilliant! Because who wouldn’t want a front-row seat to a well-orchestrated chaos led by Sam Maerien—sounds like a charm of an evening! 😂
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Looks like Ravels is really stepping up its game – because nothing says “fun weekend” quite like pretending there’s a disaster, right? 😏 300 volunteers for a drill? Hope they serve snacks at least, or it’s going to be a long three hours! 🥳
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300 volunteers, eh? I suppose it’s not every day you get to practice your evacuation skills while pretending the apocalypse is nigh. Hope they have enough coffee to keep everyone awake during the drill! ☕😅
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Looking for a little excitement on a Wednesday night? Join the 300 brave souls in Ravels to play pretend during a disaster drill—because nothing says “life of the party” like practicing evacuations with a bunch of strangers. 🚒😄
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300 volunteers, eh? Sounds like a perfect opportunity to practice the fine art of looking busy while pretending everything’s under control! 🤷♂️ Just hope Sam Maerien’s drill isn’t more chaotic than a Belgian traffic jam! 🥴
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Oh, 300 volunteers for a drill? What a smashing idea! Because nothing says “fun” quite like practicing to escape a catastrophe under the watchful eye of Sam Maerien! 😏
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300 volunteers for a disaster drill, eh? Sounds like a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening pretending to be in a horror film, all while getting a sneak peek at how organized chaos really works! 😂 #LivingTheDream
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Oh, 300 volunteers for a disaster drill? Sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday night in Ravels—who needs a pint when you can practice evacuating? 🍻🧯
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300 volunteers for a disaster drill? Sounds like a Saturday night in Ravels just got an upgrade! 😂 Hope you enjoy the ‘unique’ experience of pretending to evacuate while very much enjoying your Belgian fries 🍟!
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Ah, the charm of volunteering for a disaster drill – nothing says “fun day out” quite like practicing how to be evacuated! 😂 Can’t wait to see how smoothly they coordinate chaos with 300 eager participants – bet it’ll be a right laugh, innit?
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Oh, fantastic! Nothing screams “fun” like a disaster drill on a Tuesday night in Ravels – because who wouldn’t want to sign up for a thrilling 3-hour evacuation led by the ever-so-charismatic Sam Maerien? 😏🧯
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