Final rehearsals

In April and May the MIRGs from the MIRG-EU partner countries did their final rehearsals on the simulator in Marck en Calais. The teams went systematically through all the operational procedures. According to their trainer David Brown the training overall went well. “It was a good opportunity for the teams that participate in the Large Scale Exercise to train together”, David says. “Of course there are some learning points, but we have time to retrain and correct the procedures as well as get used to the specialist equipment the partners have now. ” The final exercise will take place on June 18 on board the DFDS cruise ferry Princess Seaways.

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.