EU OBSERVERS TO BE INVITED TO THE EXERCISE

The main goal of all exercises is to learn. Therefore, the MIRG-EX partners will invite both experts and professionals active in maritime search and rescue, fire services, incident response and civil protection to witness the full scale exercise. They are not there to simply watch, but to provide feedback on the exercise as the scenario unfolds. Their opinions and observations will become part of the evaluation report and can be helpful in optimizing our operations.

This spring, invitations will be sent to the European Commission Civil Protection contacts.

MIRG EX is an international joint partnership. Safety Region Zeeland (NL), which brings together crisis management, fire fighters and medical assistance, is lead partner. The other partners in the project are: the Fire Brigades of Antwerp, Beveren and Ghent (BE). These brigades are linked to important international ports, that accommodate large chemical production plants. Being able to effectively fight fires on board ships is simply essential. In addition to the fire brigades, the Federal Organisation of Public Civil Assistance in Brugge, the Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services-Shipping Assistance Division and the Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven nv (Zeebrugge Port Authority) are partners in the MIRG-EX project. The French Service départemental d’incendie et de secours de Pas-de-Calais and the English Kent Fire and Rescue Service complete the partnership. Both are confronted with heavy traffic on the Channel and the North Sea. An incident may be just around the corner, but this doesn’t mean it can be easily reached let alone be dealt with. Working with similar teams on both shores, reduces will help to reduce response time.