Exchange and Training Firefighters: 5 - 10 September 2014

Our aim to bring SVSU Slatina-Timis to a higher level was supported by ISU Caransebes; see the nice cooperation and demonstration beginning May 2014. To intensify the teamwork between the professional ISU and the volunteer SVSU they were invited for a week attending the training of Belgian professionals and volunteers. Due to the jubilee of 25 years of cooperation Geel - Slatina-Timis, we got the support of the City of Geel, the firebrigade of Geel, and the volunteer firebrigade of Balen, the BIG info-center and last but not least the opportunity to make a two days training at  Campus Vesta, a training center for firemen and policemen in very realistic circumstances.

The participants and instructors

     Bart Staquet                                           Marc Op De Beeck                           Ben Wouters         Ilie Cosmin

     instructor                                               volunteer firefighter                       instructor     captain-commander 

     Geel                                                        Geel                                                       Geel                       Caransebes

  Nicolae Blaj                                               Ovidiu Micsa                                             Ilie Craia

  volunteer firefighter                                professional firefighter                             volunteer firefighter

  Slatina-Timis                                            Caransebes                                               Slatina-Timis

and Sebi from Cluj, participant of the Romanian delegation - Special Olypics European Summergames 2014 in Antwerp also a great candidate fire-fighter

Visit to BIG:

Friday morning the guests arrived. In the afternoon there was a presentation at the BIG infocenter. BIG is a vzw (a non-profit organisation) and aims to collect and evaluate information on dangerous substances to aid companies and governments in their quest for a better and safer environment  a large technical team is keeping up to date the product safetycards in many languages in a book but also online, connected with all firefighting trucks 24hrs/7d. They had even a project together with the Romanian Ministery of Environment. The new developped program to determine the dangerous area on google maps when a chemical accident happens, connected to the smartphones of the firefighters, was very interesting 

BIG -dangerous area around a chemical accident                                                    BIG - meetingroom

Beringen - minesite: attending a training for rescue dogs

At this place the organisation : "Flemish Rescue Dogs" were training with their dogs searching for victims.

Firebrigade of Geel

Saturday afternoon the team visited the firefighting corps of Geel. Cdt Koen Bollen gave a presentation on the structure of the firefighting system in Belgium, the different types of corpses and the changes in the near future. The firebrigade, at the same time urban and regional, is protecting almost 60.000 residents on a surface of 19.000 Ha in the municipalities of Geel, Meerhout and Laakdal. 81 men, including 38 professionals, are committed 24 hours on 24, 7 days on 7 for the safety of citizens

After this explanation Bart Staquet guided the group through the various types of vehicles, boats, diving equipment, ladder truck etc.. Because in Geel there is a big chemical industry,  the corps is equipped  with modern materials..

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Saturday evening they were attending the academic session at the occasion of 25 years cooperation Geel - Slatina-Timis. Sunday was a free day.

Training in Geel - Firebrigade

Throughout the whole day there was trained in Geel : wearing of respiratory protection and entering into a room full of smoke. The ladder truck and aerial work platforms were used. Also a chemical protection suit was tried. There was also a lot of interest in the new cassette-system to fold firefighting hoses to enter appartment stairs much faster then on a conventional way. Geels Roemeniëkomitee offered 2 cassettes to ISU Caransebes.

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New techniques : hose handling 

Visit tot the volunteer corps of Balen, cooperating with Ladesti (Ro)

Volunteer Jeff Van Meensel gave a presentation of his corps and materials. An hour later the Romanian team went to a chemical Seveso factory. There, a big accident was simulated: a truck with dangerous goods hit the piping of a tankyard: leaks, fire and victims... First the team of the factory start to fight the fire and tried to save the victims. The volunteer team of Balen was called in and together they succeed to extinguish the fire. At the evaluation meeting afterwards several remarks were made on communication and the speed of intervention. 

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Part 2 training Campus Vesta:  click here