ICE-SAR trained Estonian volunteers
A total of ten volunteers from the technical rescue unit took part in the project. They represented the Aasukalda, Kuusalu, Noarootsi, Palivere, Türi and Pihtla volunteer rescue brigades.
The week began on Monday with lectures on one of Iceland’s most significant recent rescue events in the Grindavík area. As a result of major earthquakes, dangerous ground fissures appeared in the town, while a volcanic eruption began nearby. On 10 November 2023, 3,600 people were evacuated. ICE-SAR volunteers worked closely with the police, rescue services and civil protection authorities, helping to save thousands of people.
The Estonian volunteers also received an overview of ICE-SAR’s wider activities and its capabilities in protecting the people of Iceland. Later that day, the group travelled to Grindavík to see the consequences of the disaster first-hand and to learn about the capabilities of the local volunteer rescue unit.
In the evening, the group visited the Skyggnir volunteers in the nearby town of Vogar. For the Estonian volunteers, this was a particularly valuable experience, as the knowledge gained earlier in the day was put to the test in a training environment. After an introduction to the local rescue unit, the volunteers took part in a tabletop evacuation exercise.
The Icelandic hosts had prepared a tabletop exercise based on different scenarios around Grindavík, designed to test preparedness for various possible incidents in the area. This time, the skills and knowledge of the Estonian volunteers were tested in a critical situation.
One part of the group worked in a coordination centre, where they had to maintain the overall operational picture and manage all events on the map at the same time. The other part of the group moved to an outdoor mobile command centre, which had only recently been completed. The Estonian volunteers were the first to test command operations in the vehicle. Their role in the exercise was to act as the middle command level, directing units in the field according to instructions from the coordination level.
The evening exercise gave a clear understanding of how preparedness must cover every possibility. It also showed that when information comes in quickly, the best possible decision must be made based on the information available at that moment — in a crisis situation, there are no perfect choices.
Tuesday began with a visit to the Civil Protection Agency, where local experts gave an overview of their work and introduced how civil protection response and prevention activities are organised in Iceland. The meeting took place in a large command centre, which is activated only during major crises, such as the Grindavík disaster.
The group then visited ICE-SAR headquarters again. First, the Estonian volunteers were introduced to the geographical characteristics of Iceland. This was followed by an overview of a web-based programme created by ICE-SAR, which helps coordinate and log the work of different organisations during rescue events. In the live environment, teams can work on a shared map, exchange information and save all activity for later use. The volunteers were also introduced to different levels of command and coordination, including how Icelandic volunteers work together with partner agencies.
The evening was spent with volunteers from the ARSAELL rescue unit, who organised a practical session on technical rescue. The instructor was an ICE-SAR volunteer with experience in collapse rescue operations in Haiti, Morocco, Türkiye, Algeria and Thailand.
Although some of the tasks seemed simple at first glance, they were extremely important to practise. Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, the Estonian volunteers practised stabilising and moving through a pile of metal, lifting and supporting heavy stones, and carrying out a ladder exercise. In the final exercise, four rope anchor points were used to set up a ladder in the middle of the training area and make it safe for climbing.
On Wednesday, the group visited the Icelandic Coast Guard command centre, where maritime rescue operations across Iceland are coordinated. The volunteers received an overview of the Coast Guard’s work and had the opportunity to learn about the aviation unit in the hangars. The Icelandic Coast Guard operates around Iceland 24/7, responding to rescue incidents both at sea and on land. In the second half of the day, the group travelled to North Iceland, where the next two days of activities took place.
Thursday began with rope rescue training together with the volunteers of Sauðárkrókur. The Estonian volunteers had the opportunity to learn about ropes, knots and other equipment used to rescue people from difficult-to-access places — in Estonia, for example, from wells, silos and other challenging locations. The second part of the day focused on maritime rescue capabilities, with volunteers from Sauðárkrókur and from across the bay arriving by boat to introduce their equipment and the local area.
The powerful day ended with a visit to a geothermal water plant. There are several such plants serving one town, and the warm water for the whole area comes directly from underground.
On Friday, the Estonian volunteers tested the vehicle fleet of the Sauðárkrókur rescuers. The overview included a tracked vehicle, off-road vehicles and an ATV. Icelandic rescuers use all kinds of vehicles to reach people successfully in difficult terrain. In the second half of the day, the group travelled to the other side of Iceland, near the Westman Islands, where a large-scale exercise took place the following day.
Saturday began in the moulage room. The Estonian volunteers entered a small airport building and were immediately placed in makeup chairs to prepare them to act as casualties in a large Icelandic exercise. According to the scenario, a traffic accident had taken place at the airfield, followed by a fire. Three cars had collided, resulting in 13 injured people and several immediate fatalities.
The Estonian volunteers played the roles of patients suffering from hypothermia, smoke inhalation, concussion, internal bleeding and leg fractures. Each person had their own role and script, according to which the local rescuers had to provide assistance.
Once the Estonian volunteers and a few locals had been placed in the cars, the exercise call came in. The police were the first to arrive, followed immediately by the rescue service and ambulance crews. Icelandic volunteers then arrived and began helping to resolve the situation. The fire service responded within a few minutes and extinguished the fire so that the police, ambulance crews and volunteers could begin rescuing people.
A quick triage brought some patients out of the incident area immediately, while others continued to receive assistance. Patients in critical condition were given first aid and transported away by ambulance. Some patients were cut out of the vehicles by the rescue service, with Icelandic volunteers supporting professional responders in every possible way, including first aid. For everyone involved, one of the most memorable moments was the arrival of the helicopter, which, according to the scenario, would have transported the red-category triage patients to hospital.
After the casualties had been removed from the field, a second triage began at the initial treatment point. The condition of some patients worsened, while others improved. The Estonian volunteers received very strong feedback from the locals for how convincingly they played their roles. Their active participation as casualties was a surprise to the Icelandic teams and allowed them to practise how difficult it can be to communicate with and calm people involved in an accident.
The exercise ended with a helicopter winching drill. The helicopter that the volunteers had seen in the hangar earlier in the week now lifted them by winch as part of the training. It was an unforgettable experience that will remain with the volunteers for a long time.
During a very intensive week, the Estonian volunteers gained insight into several areas of rescue work, including civil protection, rope rescue, helicopter rescue, first aid and technical rescue. The members of the steering group can now share this knowledge and apply it in future training sessions and exercises of the technical rescue unit, helping Estonia to be better prepared for larger crises.
Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/155023592@N06/albums/72177720333230913
Author: Hendrik Tali / Estonian Rescue Association
The visit to Iceland took place as part of a Nordplus project and was funded by
the Nordic Council of Ministers.
the Nordic Council of Ministers.
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