Matt Deadman

name: Matt Deadman
organisation: Kent Fire and Rescue Service
function: Special Risks Manager
MIRG-EU Role: Manager of Kent MIRG Team
e-mail: matthew.deadman@kent.fire-uk.org

Matt has been working for Kent Fire and Rescue since 2004 and is responsible for managing high risk sites within Kent. This involves working with partner agencies and site operators to develop, test and maintain emergency plans. Matt sits on the Kent Resilience Forum’s Risk Assessment Group as the representative for KFRS, leading on the assessment of risks in the County including hazardous materials incidents and incidents involving industry.

Matt also manages the Kent MIRG team and is keen to learn from partners involved in the project in order to improve the operational response, capability and resilience for marine incidents within Kent and at sea.

Currently Matt is undertaking a Masters degree, looking at information sharing between partner agencies and would like to use this work to develop the information sharing relationship between fire services across the EU.

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.