CTIF meeting gathered in Hungary
This year’s theme was volunteer training: how each country trains its volunteer rescuers, who provides the training, and under what conditions it takes place. The Estonian Rescue Association delegation also presented the distinctive features of training in Estonia, covering both state-provided training and the association’s own specialist courses.
Here are some key points from the presentations by the participating countries:
Hungary’s volunteer rescue system is quite similar to Estonia’s, with volunteer rescue organisations operating as non-profit associations. Two major changes are expected in the near future: a new system will enable volunteers to participate in emergency response more effectively, and the volunteer organisation will be renamed as a fire and civil protection organisation.
As in Estonia, Romania’s volunteer rescue services are community-based and subject to national training requirements. In Romania, however, local authorities rather than the national government are responsible for delivering the training. Because Romania’s regions vary considerably, this allows each local authority to decide which capabilities it wants to develop and which are most important to its communities.
Germany has a very strong volunteer rescue sector. First, it has a technical relief organisation that the Estonian Rescue Association has visited and learned from. Like Estonia, Germany also has a broader rescue service rather than only a firefighting system. Volunteer and professional rescuers are trained to the same standards, so both groups must maintain the same level of competence. An important new direction in German rescue training is the increasingly active use of virtual reality, allowing people to experience simulated incidents before facing real ones.
The United States was represented on this occasion by OBA, which brings together volunteer firefighter organisations from South and North America. The United States focused mainly on training for the general public. For example, more than 250,000 people have already received training through a virtual academy on various rescue and homeland security topics. It has also created a prevention programme completed by more than 300,000 people in four years. A separate women’s cooperation network was highlighted as a way to ensure women’s participation in volunteer rescue. The United States also noted that every item of a rescuer’s equipment has its own sponsor. Because funding for volunteers is always limited, large companies sponsor specific products: one provides clothing, another equipment. Instead of asking companies for money, the organisations ask for products.
Dutch volunteers are among the most highly professional because they must meet the same standards and complete the same training as career personnel. Volunteer training therefore lasts two years. Today, volunteers account for nearly 80% of the Netherlands’ rescue services, and stations are shared with career personnel. One important lesson from Dutch training is that exercises are now based on realistic incidents. In the past, scenarios were implausibly complex, such as an explosion in a residential building combined with a hurricane. Because such combinations simply do not happen, exercises were simplified and made more realistic.
The Netherlands also has a strong approach to verifying volunteers’ actual knowledge and skills. Participants are assessed during and after exercises, preventing situations in which someone merely attends, receives a tick in a box, and learns nothing. Another valuable lesson is the need to change learning outcomes and methods: a new generation expects different forms of training and activities. The Netherlands is undertaking a major transition that will take time and adjustment, but should ultimately help a new generation find its way into volunteer rescue.
Great friends from the Netherlands.
Finland focuses heavily on prevention. One innovation was training volunteers in fire behaviour and suppression to develop their operational skills. Finland has also begun providing volunteers with dedicated CBRNE safety training covering explosives and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards, specifically because of the war in Ukraine. As in Romania, volunteer rescue training in Finland is tailored to the characteristics of each region.
An additional benefit is that volunteer rescue courses and curricula can count toward ECTS credits at university, creating even stronger links between citizens and volunteer rescue services.
Slovenia currently has 1,000 professional rescuers and nearly 15,000 volunteers, with a rescue station in every village. All training is delivered by the Slovenian Firefighting School. Its biggest current challenge is developing a digital learning platform intended to engage more people, especially young people.
Greece has adopted a support officer model in which volunteers assist at professional fire stations. Volunteer rescue services operate in almost every small community. The state also manages the entire training process and ensures that volunteers are represented in every region.
Croatia currently has more than 35,000 volunteer rescuers, nearly 3,000 of whom are women. The organisation also includes 30,000 children and a further 17,000 women involved in prevention and other less operational areas of rescue work. As in several other countries, Croatia trains professionals and volunteers to the same standard, ensuring professional rescue services nationwide, including at the volunteer level.
In Austria, individual stations are responsible for training. They are given the trust and resources to train their own personnel and provide the service. Courses vary by level of competence, and Austria offers a fairly extensive training catalogue.
Luxembourg also provides volunteers with medical examinations and physical fitness tests, which are not currently required in Estonia. Volunteers are subject to the same standards and training as professionals. In addition to volunteering in rescue services, they may also volunteer with the ambulance service on a day of their choice, providing variety and continued opportunities to develop new skills. Luxembourg also maintains volunteers’ competence through a mandatory eight-hour refresher course once a year.
In summary, we gained many new ideas that could also be applied in Estonia. One example is medical examinations for volunteers to help safeguard their health. Another option worth considering is allowing Estonian universities to award ECTS credits for completed volunteer rescuer training, which could make volunteer rescue more attractive to young people.
More news
info@paasteliit.ee
+372 527 4112
Sirge 2, 10618 Tallinn, Eesti
PÄÄSTELIIT
Register number 80302703
IBAN EE547700771002741382