STEVE DEMETRIOU

name: Steve Demetriou
organisation: Kent Fire and Rescue Service
function: Director of Operational Policy and Resilience
MIRG-EU role: Lead officer for the UK partner
email: steve.demetriou@kent.fire-uk.org

Steve has worked for KFRS for 28 years and is responsible for the production of all operational procedures, operational training and procurement of operational equipment for Kent’s firefighters. Steve is also chair of the Kent Resilience Forum Executive Group which coordinates all Kent emergency services and local authorities in the planning for major disasters. He is also the UK Lead Officer for marine firefighting and brings a wealth of operational experience in the maritime environmment to this project.

As the Lead Officer for the UK partner, Steve will oversee the production of the operational manual and large scale exercise as key elements of the MIRG EU project.

Steve would like to eventually introduce an EU marine response capability which could involve all coastal Member States and firmly believes that the sharing of operational experiences and knowledge between EU partners will make all communities safer and more resilient in the future.

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.