Erasmus+ project: Community preparedness for crises
FROM EU FUNDING: 60 000€
PROJECT DURATION: SEPTEMBER 2024 - AUGUST 2025
The initial impetus for the project was growing concern about the increasing frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change, as confirmed by the UN climate report. Both Estonia and Iceland have seen a significant increase in the number of natural disasters, but their nature differs between the two countries. In Estonia, floods and extreme weather conditions pose a significant threat, while in Iceland, landscape and lichen fires are becoming increasingly frequent. Volunteer rescuers in both countries are key figures in their communities, but they lacked practical and in-depth training in each other's areas of expertise.
The need for the project arose from the desire to supplement the knowledge and skills of volunteer rescuers in areas where they had little experience, in order to increase community preparedness for crises and strengthen international cooperation.
The project encompassed two meticulously planned, week-long learning mobilities, each of which was designed to maximise experiential learning and reciprocal exchange of expertise between the partner organisations.
1. Estonian Volunteer Rescuers in Iceland (October 2024): Participants undertook the internationally recognised Rescue 3 training programme, which provided advanced instruction in swiftwater and flood rescue, rope rescue, and rubble rescue. The training was complemented by operational patrols with local ICE-SAR units, practical exercises in mountain and rubble rescue, and a series of lectures detailing Iceland’s civil protection strategies and methodologies.
2. Icelandic Volunteer Rescuers in Estonia (June 2025): Participants engaged in intensive, hands-on training in the prevention and suppression of forest, landscape, and moss fires. The programme included active participation in the Estonian Technical Rescue Unit’s large-scale field exercise in Oisu, observational visits to both professional and volunteer fire brigades, and structured knowledge exchange sessions focusing on community fire safety awareness and public risk communication strategies.
The overarching aim of the project was to deliver structured, high-quality training to a select group of 24 volunteer rescue experts – 12 from Estonia and 12 from Iceland – in order to provide them with advanced operational knowledge and practical competencies in risk areas critical to their respective national contexts.
Specifically, the project sought to:
- Equip Estonian participants with internationally accredited qualifications through the Rescue 3 training programme, covering swiftwater and flood rescue and additionally rope rescue and rubble rescue.
- Provide Icelandic participants with in-depth, practical instruction in the prevention, mitigation, and suppression of forest, landscape, and moss fires, leveraging Estonia’s century-long experience in these domains.
- Strengthen the bilateral relationship between the Estonian Rescue Association and ICE-SAR, ensuring the establishment of sustainable mechanisms for knowledge transfer and mutual operational support in times of crisis.
Presentation on midigation of wildfires in Estonia: CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION
For participants gallery from the study / Päästeliit in Iceland (october): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBLqZo
For participants gallery from the study / ICE-SAR in Estonia (may): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCh9Aa
MEDIA REPORTS:
Ringvaade: Grindeviki päästeõpe
Saarte Hääl: Pihtla päästjad esimeste seas ⟩ Läbisid Islandil kõrgema taseme üleujutustele reageerimise koolituse
TreRaadio: Islandil õppustel käinud Eesti vabatahtlikud on valmis üleujutustes päästma
Virumaa Teataja: Võsu ja Simuna päästjad õppisid Islandil üleujutuste tõrjumist
Järva Teataja: Türi vabatahtlik osales Islandil erilisel koolitusel
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PÄÄSTELIIT
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