At the end of September 2011 a simulation test of rapid-response to a seismic emergency was conducted in the frame of the current agreement between the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the Civil Protection Agency of the Emilia Romagna, with the objective of evaluating the level of preparedness reached in the emergency procedures established by INGV and the regional Civil protection Agency for a major earthquake. The simulation involved more than 50 researchers and technicians working in the offices and in the field in the pretended epicentral area. The INGV staff involved belongs to different INGV offices (Ancona, Arezzo, Bologna, Irpinia, Milan, Pisa and Rome). The preparation of the test event was based on the past experiences of real emergencies, primarily...