BALTIC SEA MIRG. Project MIRG SERVICES AND TRAINING IN EUROPE

Transcription

1 BALTIC SEA MIRG Project MIRG SERVICES AND TRAINING IN EUROPE

2 Copyright: All rights reserved. Finnish Border Guard (pbk.) (PDF)

3 Contents Abbreviations 2 Overview 3 1. Country descriptions Belgium Emergency fire and rescue at sea Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires Finland Emergency fire and rescue at sea Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires France Emergency fire and rescue at sea Italy Emergency fire and rescue at sea Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires Netherlands Emergency fire and rescue at sea Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires The United Kingdom Emergency fire and rescue at sea Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires MIRG competencies Firefighters Officers Training MIRG competences in different countries Presentation and analysis of in MIRG competences Summary of the analysis of MIRG competence Recommendations 50 Appendix 1: MIRG EU Training Manual 52 Appendix 2: Lesson descriptions of the Finnish MIRG courses 56 Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 1

4 Abbreviations DV CBRN FRMR FRS HUET MIRG Distress Vessel Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Fire and Rescue Maritime Response teams in the UK Fire and Rescue Services Helicopter Underwater Escape Training Maritime Incidence Response Group MIRG-BE Belgian Maritime Incidence Response Group MRCC MRSC OSC SAR SOLAS SOP SRR TETRA VHF Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre On Scene Coordinator Search and Rescue Key project terms International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea Standard Operating Procedure Search and Rescue Region Terrestrial Trunked Radio Very High Frequency Baltic Sea MIRG= An international project, led by the Finnish Border Guard, to create a MIRG coordi-nation model and operational guidelines for international MIRG operations and to support the harmo-nisation of MIRG in Europe. MIRG EU= An Interreg IVA 2 seas project with partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England to develop a standard set of operating procedures and a manual in order to set up a MIRG EU team. MIRG-EX is an extension of the MIRG-EU project to test maintenance of skills learned through MIRG-EU and to look more closely at cooperation and collaboration of the EU teams at sea for a multidisciplinary incident e.g. fire, technical rescue and hazmat operations. Overview All European countries provide fire and rescue at sea, but they are organised in somewhat different ways and different authorities are responsible for them. In most countries, fire and rescue are responsible for the provision of such in ports and close to shore in their own areas of operations. In addition, many of them also participate in maritime search and rescue (SAR) together with the leading maritime SAR authority. In many of these countries participating in maritime SAR, the use of a Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) has been found to be an effective means of providing support for rescue operations on the distress vessel. However, the tasks currently handled by MIRG teams and the kinds of competences they are trained in vary from country to country, in some cases greatly. This report examines how different European countries have organised their fire and rescue at sea and how the personnel of fire and rescue are trained to respond to ship fires and other maritime incidents. Assessing this is part of the Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group (Baltic Sea MIRG) project, which was carried out in international cooperation, seeking to develop joint coordination models and operational guidelines for international MIRG operations. Additional information on the project is available at: This report is partly a continuation of the final report on the Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Survey (BSMIR), which was implemented in , and in which one of the focus areas was the capability to provide fire and rescue at sea in the Baltic Sea region, Norway and Iceland. The report is available from The Baltic Sea MIRG project and this report expand the examination of these capabilities to other European maritime areas. This report describes the organisation of fire and rescue in six countries or regions thereof: Belgium, Finland, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and France. All these countries provide MIRG either nationally or regionally, or seek to develop the MIRG capabilities of their country in the near future. These countries provide a perspective on arrangements in the Baltic Sea, English Channel, North Sea and Mediterranean. Read more in Chapter 2, Country Descriptions. The same chapter also provides a more detailed overview of the maritime of fire and rescue personnel in many of the countries. The report also analyses the similarityof maritime for fire and rescue service personnel in different countries, the reasons behind any differences, and whether it would be possible to engage in closer cooperation in in the future. To analyse this, the Baltic Sea MIRG project has defined key competences that ensure sufficient performance in MIRG operations. These are presented in Chapter 3. Defining MIRG competences makes it possible to mirror them against programmes in different countries as well as compare these countries to find any similarities. Similarities and differences in systems are presented in Chapter 4. For detailed information on the contents of MIRG courses in the MIRG EU programme and MIRG courses held in Finland, see the appendixes to this report. 2 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 3

5 1. Country descriptions This chapter presents how six European countries, or certain regions thereof, have organised their fire and rescue at sea and how they train fire and rescue personnel to respond to ship fires. The presented countries are: Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. The country descriptions were drafted by the rescue authorities of each country that participated in the Baltic Sea MIRG project. Of the Baltic Sea countries, the fire and rescue arrangements of Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden as well as those of Norway and Iceland were described in a somewhat similar manner in the final report of the Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Survey published in 2014 ( facts/bsmir) Belgium Emergency fire and rescue at sea The participation of the Belgian fire and rescue in the MIRG-EU project accelerated the establishment of MIRG in Belgium. The country now has trained harbour MIRG-BE teams on continual standby. They are prepared to launch MIRG operations in their own area of responsibility, which consists of harbours, docks, rivers, creeks and channels within the territorial borders of the four fire and rescue. MIRG-BE also participates in maritime SAR by providing expertise for maritime fire and rescue operations in the North Sea, as set out in the preparedness plan for the region. MIRG operations at the incident site are to be led by the responsible authority, namely the Coast Guard (MRCC). The General Coordinator of the preparedness plan for the North Sea is the Governor of West Flanders, who is appointed by the federal govern-ment. The Governor is responsible for the operational costs incurred by the MIRG-BE teams. During joint exercises, each organisation is responsible for its own expenses. When operating on vessels in distress, the MIRG-BE team acts in accordance with international agreements and the directions issued by the master of the vessel. In maritime SAR operations, the main task of the MIRG-BE team is to provide support to the crew of the vessel in distress, in accordance with the guidelines specified by the mas-ter of the vessel. Their mission is to save the ship and to facilitate its safe transport to a port for repairs and further handling of the incident. Belgium has one MIRG team, made up of firefighters from the four partners of MIRG- BE, which is on continual standby 24/7. The four Belgian fire and rescue (FRS) providing MIRG are: FRS Centrum, FRS Zone 1, FRS Waasland, and FRS Antwerp. The team s basic size is twelve persons, divided into one command team and one strike team of six persons each. The team s standby time is immediate, which means that the transfer of personnel and equipment to the embarkation point in Ostend begins immediately when the team is alerted. However, it currently takes a couple of hours to reach the designated target. In the future the aim is to reach the embarkation point within two hours. The members of the MIRG-BE team are all experts in their own field and carry out a variety of rescue tasks in their daily work. Additionally, they are well trained in all of the specialised skills required to deal with maritime incidents. In addition to the maritime operations carried out in the search and rescue region of Belgium, the MIRG-BE teams also give assistance, at European level, to the partners of the MIRG-EU project: Safety Region Zeeland from the Netherlands, Kent Fire and Rescue Service from the UK and Service Départemental d Incendie et de Secours du Pas-De- Calais (SDIS 62) from France. The system of the MIRG-BE team is set up in line with the basic expertise gained from vocational qualifications in rescue and in-service. There is no difference made between the for crew and officers. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG-BE operations are responsible for the planning, implementation and development of sessions in cooperation with the MRCC of Ostend, the airport of Ostend and VLOOT, a public service specialised in government vessels. 4 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 5

6 MIRG-BE team members have a set number of mandatory exercises that they have to repeat annually. The following topics are systematically present in the ses-sions: helicopter winching, HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training), sea survival and ship-to-ship transfer. Each team member is obligated to complete 24 hours of each year. Additionally, the partners from the MIRG-EU project have set up the MIRG-EX project together with partners from the province of West Flanders. The MIRG-EX partners seek to make their MIRG EU team, set up during the MIRG-EU project, available through the EU Civil Protection mechanism. With regards to MIRG team transportation in Belgium, the MIRG-BE team can be transported to the scene of the incident by either boat or helicopter, depending on the nature of the intervention. When a boat is used, the embarkation point is the port of Ostend, where VLOOT provides a vessel. In the case of helicopter transport, the embarkation point is the airport of Ostend where the marine or NHV (Noordzee Helikop-ters Vlaanderen) SAR helicopters are based. All team members are equipped with immersion suits suitable for maritime SAR, automatic life jackets, helmets and personal locator beacons. The team has separate personal bags for carrying personal equipment, as well as special plastic cases for carrying team-specific equipment. Satellite phones, Tetra radio and Maritime VHF are used for communication to maintain contact on board the distress vessel or between the MIRG team and the MRCC of Ostend onshore Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires The basic expertise gained from vocational qualifications in rescue and the broad-ranging expertise of the fire and rescue provides a good foundation for national MIRG-BE operations. Specialised and supplementary facilitates the integration of this expertise into operational preparedness in maritime search and rescue. The modules are based on 14 competences required for all members within the Maritime Incident Response Group. Achieving these core competences ensures that all MIRG-BE personnel gain knowledge and understanding and develop skills to enable them to be better prepared for safely dealing with incidents at sea. 1. Introduction 2. Sea survival, HUET and ship-to-ship transfer 3. Helicopter familiarisation and continuation 4. Ship stability 5. Support and safety vessels 6. Safety during helicopter transportation 7. Transportation protective equipment (TPE) 8. Nominal roll 9. Incident command system 10. Communications 11. Ship construction 12. Legislation, roles and responsibilities 13. Closed-circuit breathing apparatus 14. Strategy and tactics All MIRG-BE team members must meet the minimum requirements in accordance with the MIRG-EU Training Manual. Each team member is obligated to complete 24 hours of practice a year. Only personnel trained in accordance with the MIRG-EU competences respond as part of any MIRG deployment at sea. There is no difference made between for crew and officers. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG-BE operations are responsible for the planning, implementation and development of sessions in cooperation with the MRCC of Ostend, the airport of Ostend and VLOOT, which is specialised in government vessels. Picture 1: Flemish and Dutch firefighters at the MIRG EU large scale exercise in Photo courtesy of Kent Fire and Rescue Service, England, UK. 6 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 7

7 1.2. Finland Emergency fire and rescue at sea Finland has MIRG teams on continual standby in the event of an incident at sea. In accordance with the Rescue Act, the fire and rescue are obligated to launch MIRG operations in their own area of responsibility, that is, harbours and areas in close proximity to the shore. According to the Finnish Maritime Search and Rescue Act, the fire and rescue also participate in maritime SAR. Not all fire and res-cue have MIRG expertise or on-call teams, so MIRG stations will support these stations with specially trained units when required. Fire and rescue that participate in MIRG operations are responsible for the costs incurred by their MIRG operations. During joint exercises, each organisation is responsible for its own expenses. On-site responsibility for MIRG operations is held by the maritime SAR agency, which in Finland is the Border Guard (MRCC/MRSC). When operating on distress vessels, MIRG teams act in accordance with international agreements and the directions is-sued by the master of the vessel. The most important task of the MIRG team, and the core of its operating idea, is to provide support to the crew of the distress vessel in ac-cordance with the guidelines specified by the master of the vessel. The aim is to avoid having to evacuate the vessel by halting the escalation of the accident and thereby limit it and gain additional time for saving people. Finland currently has two MIRG teams on continual 24/7 standby in the event of an incident at sea. The teams standby time is immediate. The MIRG teams ba-ses/stations are in Turku and Helsinki, where Finnish Border Guard s Maritime SAR helicopters are also located. Both teams are available for deployment throughout Fin-land s Search and rescue region (SRR), irrespective of their base s location. In ac-cordance with contracts, the teams are also available for use in other countries SRRs. Finnish model, all other in-service maintenance for rescuers also serves as a basis for MIRG operations. Finland s rescue teams primarily use dedicated Finnish Border Guard s maritime SAR helicopters to transfer to the target. Surface vessels can also be used if required, but there must be special grounds for doing so. Helicopters are always the first choice for reasons of safety and their response time. The maritime SAR helicopters are currently based in the same cities as the MIRG groups, which means that helicopter use is fast and easy. There is also a maritime SAR helicopter in Northern Finland (Rovaniemi), but there are no MIRG teams in its immediate vicinity, as a risk analysis of the said area concluded that it would not be worthwhile placing a MIRG team on standby there. All team members are equipped with immersion suits suitable for maritime SAR, automatic life jackets (SOLAS), helmets, and personal locator beacons (PLB). The teams equipment is stored in premises that have signed contracts with the fire and rescue. MIRG teams have separate personal bags for carrying personal equipment, as well as special plastic peli cases for carrying team-specific equipment. Different equipment is packed in the cases depending on the nature of the task. Contact between MIRG teams and the MRCC/MRSC is handled in accordance with the situation, but Tetra radio is usually used for communications. If the distress ves-sel s Maritime VHF is available, this can be used when necessary. When aboard a distress vessel, team members communicate with each other using Tetra radio. The team can also use mobile phones and Maritime VHF; in the future, it is possible that satellite phones will also be used. The usual size of a MIRG team is (4 in the future). The composition of the team may vary depending on the nature of the operation and the distance from the accident site, but the team s basic size is five (six). When a MIRG team is needed is a team both from Turku and Helsinki alerted so that the total strength is 10 persons. MIRG teams are trained in all of the specialised skills required to deal with maritime incidents. All team members are professionals in their own fields and carry out a variety of rescue tasks in their daily work. Fire and rescue are obligated to handle routine incidents on land in the manner they see most fit irrespective of whether specially trained teams have been alerted to incidents at sea or not. Finland s national MIRG system is based on supplementing the basic expertise gained from vocational qualifications in rescue with supplementary courses and in-service. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG operations are responsible for the planning, implementation and development of supplementary MIRG in cooperation with the Finnish Border Guard. This takes the form of supplementary MIRG courses. These basic courses, which are organised separately for crew and officers, are one week in duration. Team members must practise a variety of maritime SAR topics a few times per year. MIRG fire and rescue have a couple of mandatory exercises per year. How-ever, MIRG fire and rescue have jointly agreed that every MIRG employee will receive in special maritime situations at least two (2) times per year. Larg-er maritime SAR exercises are also organised annually with a view to evaluating ex-pertise in MIRG operations at the level of both the organisation and individuals. In ac-cordance with the Picture 1: MIRG team from Turku heading to the SAR helicopter. Photo courtesy of Jussi Leivo/ South-West Finland Emergency Services. 8 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 9

8 Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires The broad-ranging expertise of the Finnish fire and rescue provides a good foundation for national MIRG operations. Specialised and supplementary fa-cilitates the integration of this expertise into Finland s operational preparedness in maritime search and rescue. Finland s national MIRG system is based on supplementing the basic exper-tise gained from vocational qualifications in rescue with supplementary train-ing courses and in-service. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG operations and the Finnish Border Guard participate in organising MIRG. The cooperation of the Finnish fire and rescue and the Finnish Border Guard is coordinated by the national MIRG steering group. From the perspective of expertise management, the MIRG system is based on utilising the degree programme system to the fullest extent possible. The operating models are based on applying, in shipboard conditions, the operating models used in day-to-day tasks. For this reason, the system for MIRG qualifications focuses on the maritime SAR system, the special characteristics of maritime conditions and developing expertise on how to operate on vessels. Rescue degree programme system Full-time fire and rescue personnel in Finland are required to have a voca-tional degree in rescue approved by the Ministry of the Interior. Training lead-ing to a degree is provided by the Emergency Services College, which is run by the State, and the Helsinki Rescue School, which is part of the Helsinki City Rescue De-partment. There are three levels of degree programmes for rescue in Finland: Crew Sub-officer Officer The starting point has been that the degrees are taken progressively, with each lower degree providing the necessary qualifications for the next. However, in recent years, it has been possible to start these studies at the officer level. In such cases, the degree also covers the basics of operational activities. Degree programme for crew The degree programme for crew degree in rescue consists of 90 study credits (1.5 years). The degree is a post-secondary programme; that is, students must have completed either a vocational or upper secondary degree. The studies do not in-clude general education. Vocational studies account for 76 study credits in the degree programme, 36.5 for rescue operations and 28.5 for emergency medical care. Other studies in the programme focus on accident prevention efforts and general preparedness for working life, and the expertise gained from these courses is not directly connected to MIRG operations. Degree programme for sub-officers Persons who have completed the sub-officer degree programme serve as the foremen of rescue units (fire sub-officer). A completed degree in rescue is a requirement for admission into the sub-officer programme. In MIRG tasks, fire sub-officers lead the teams while participating in the hands-on performance of tasks. The degree programme for sub-officers consists of 60 study credits (1 year) and is equivalent to a specialist vocational degree. As in the case of the degree in rescue, a substantial share of the studies in this programme concern vocational are-as other than rescue operations. This degree programme includes substantial mod-ules on accident prevention and personnel leadership. Degree programme for officers The degree programme for officers consists of 240 study credits (about four years without prior studies in rescue ) and is equivalent to a lower university degree. This degree programme can be completed in two ways. If the student has previously completed the degree programme for sub-officers, he or she can complete the officer programme as a so-called adult degree, with part of his or her earlier studies credited towards the completion of the degree. If the student has not completed a sub-officer degree, he or she must complete the programme in full, in which case the studies include basic in fire extinguishing and rescue techniques. The degree title is fire engineer (BSc). Due to the structure of the Finnish education system, the degree includes extensive theoretical studies in subjects such as lan-guages and mathematics at a lower university degree level. In the future, the degree will be developed into a standalone programme and the engineer title will be discontinued. Basic MIRG courses Basic MIRG courses are a core component of the national MIRG system. The purpose of the courses is to provide standardised expertise to meet the needs of na-tional operations. The courses are designed in line with the expertise required to fulfil MIRG tasks. The course content is defined such that the expertise gained from the degree programmes in rescue, as described above, is sufficiently enhanced to suit the requirements of MIRG operations. The goal is that those who have completed the courses understand the international and national special characteristics of maritime SAR and know how to apply their basic expertise in shipboard conditions under the leadership of the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator. The Finnish Border Guard is responsible for organising basic MIRG courses in cooperation with the fire and rescue engaging in MIRG operations. The fire and rescue enrol students in the courses in accordance with their personnel strategies. In the case of the officer degree programme, study places are reserved not only for fire and rescue personnel, but also for persons working as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators at the Finnish Border Guard and persons being trained for that task. The Finnish Border Guard and the fire and rescue participating in MIRG operations contribute equal resources for the organisation of the basic MIRG courses. The teachers are experts from the Finnish Border Guard and fire and rescue. The sending organisations are responsible for the direct costs of the students. In the future, the goal is that the in-service independently organised by the fire and rescue will be supplemented not only with basic courses, but also with 10 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 11

9 additional MIRG courses intended to update the content of the basic courses at specific intervals. These latter courses are currently being planned. It was decided to exclude the sub-officer programme from the planning of the basic MIRG courses. From the perspective of core competences, the additional expertise requirements for sub-officers are so close to the requirements of the crew that it was not considered necessary to arrange a separate course. During practical exercises in the crew course, sub-officers have naturally performed tasks commensurate with their degree, that is, as the foremen of rescue units. For this reason, efforts have been made to emphasise the participation of sub-officers in crew courses. Basic MIRG course for crew The basic MIRG course for crew lasts five days. The course is intended to enable crew to apply the expertise in rescue they have gained from their degree pro-gramme and work experience to performing MIRG tasks in a shipboard environment and ensure their occupational safety. The basic structure of the course consists of two theory days, a rescue exercise, a practical day and a recap day that mainly consists of case exercises. The course structure seeks to enable maximum efficiency in the learning process in the shortest time possible under the principle of knowledge-application-reflection. As part of the basic course for crew, winch is carried out in cooperation with the Finnish Border Guard as separate in-service. Completion of this course is a precondition for serving in MIRG tasks. In-service In-service is divided into: Training required under national legislation on the rescue sector and occupa-tional safety Obligatory to maintain different qualifications as defined in the internal instructions of the fire and rescue Training on basic skills to maintain expertise in MIRG tasks Deepening knowledge of ships More extensive exercises carried out by means of cooperation between authorities on a broader scale. The primary purpose of in-service with respect to MIRG operations is to maintain basic expertise and to deepen it with adapted exercises. There is significant variance in how in-service is carried out in practice at Finnish fire and rescue due to differences in their personnel structures and operating environments. Although different models are used in methods of implementation, the basic content of is the same. In-service of crew particularly emphasises knowledge of ships and how to work safely in the maritime environment. In the case of officers, in-service emphasises leadership-related issues in MIRG operations, such as cooperation with the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator and the officers of the distress vessel. In-service for both personnel groups also includes regular and practical joint operations with the surface and air units of the Finnish Border Guard. Basic MIRG course for officers This course also lasts for five days. It consists of four days of face-to-face teaching, winch, HUET and a day during which the students are familiarised with maritime rescue command centre operations. The course provides fire and rescue officers with the basics of the national maritime SAR system and could also be considered a general course on national maritime SAR. Persons working or intending to work as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators are also selected as students for this course. The face-to-face component is arranged in the form of courses. Winch and familiarisation with the operations of the maritime rescue command centre in the students own operating area are arranged as in-service. Like the crew course, HUET is held at the Meriturva Maritime Safety Training Centre, and the fire and rescue participating in MIRG operations assign students to days commissioned by the Border and Coast Guard Academy. The students know the principles and organisation of vessel cargo transport as well as which information sources to consult in the event of an accident. A clear focus of the officer course is to utilise fire and rescue units as part of maritime SAR as a whole. The course emphasises that MIRG and related operations are carried out under the leadership of the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator with the aim of saving and assisting people in distress or impending danger at sea. The course emphasises the division of responsibilities between different safety authorities, as laid out in national legislation, and changes in leadership responsibilities during operational tasks. 12 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 13

10 1.3. France Emergency fire and rescue at sea In France, the fire and rescue are responsible for providing quick response to maritime accidents and incidents close to shore. Related to this, the fire and rescue must deploy and equipment in accordance with the national policy. In terms of offshore maritime SAR, the responsibilities of the fire and rescue vary depending on the sea area in question. At the moment, three fire in the north of France and one in the south of France are organised to deal with ship fires and other maritime accidents at sea. Emergency response at sea is managed by Maritime Prefects ( Préfet maritime ), who are the maritime authority and government s representatives at the local level. For sea-based operations, three Maritime Prefects have been appointed for the continental country. Their areas of responsibility are: the North Sea and Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. sessions focused on specific areas of operation are also provided each year. In terms of maritime SAR, the CROSS (MRCC) plans annual and large-scale exercises that involve fire and other national partners. The maritime authorities are responsible for dealing with transportation of the rescue teams in offshore and/or large-scale maritime SAR operations. Teams are transported to the target by navy helicopters, civil protection helicopters or vessels from different administrations. Fire and rescue also have light boats for quick response close to shore. The content of the equipment package to be used by the French MIRG teams in the future will be consistent with the MIRG EU policy. Fire and rescue will start using the bag as soon as the national policy is validated. For maritime SAR, the fire and rescue also use equipment like light scuba diving gear. MIRG teams use Tetra radio for communications near the coast or in harbours. At sea, they use VHF or satellite phones. The Maritime Prefects hold responsibility for maritime SAR operations as well as all other operations at sea in their own area of responsibility. There are several MRCCs, which are called CROSS in France, operating under the Maritime Prefect and responsible for the coordination of maritime SAR operations. A Maritime Prefect can request emergency response from the emergency rescue or any other administration involved at sea, including the army 1. In 2012, the chairman of SDIS62 (the fire and rescue service of the department of the Pas de Calais) involved his fire and rescue service in the MIRG EU project. Since then, maritime issues have become a key focus for several ministries; the Ministry of the Interior, for example, has recognised that the personnel of the fire and rescue can be trained to deal with incidents at sea. Participation in maritime operations is supported by the high skill level of the firefighters and the variety of tasks they handle: emergency medical care, CBRNe, chemicals operations, technical operations, etc. At the moment, 40 firefighters are trained to respond to maritime emergencies in the English Channel and North Sea area according to the EU MIRG standard operating procedures (SOP). It is also expected that another 40 firefighters will be trained in the near future. The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense and the fire and rescue are currently working together to build national policy to be able to provide emergency response offshore, under the Maritime Prefects. The national policy will be ready at the end of 2016 and it will be close to the MIRG EU s policy on on the MIRG EU s SOPs. After the national policy is validated, the fire and rescue will offer the following types of response at sea: evaluation, firefighting on board, damage control related to leakage, emergency medical care (for massive operations related to terrorism, for ex-ample) and chemical clean-ups. Each fire service will have the opportunity to sign the all of these responses or parts of them, but it won t be mandatory. Responding to terrorism and mass killing is a very important issue in France actually: the national working group is trying to deal with this new dramatic issue and to give op-portunity to the Maritime authority to have options after the special forces operations. Fire and rescue could give option for a massive paramedic response. MIRG in SDIS62 is based on the MIRG EU SOPs and manual (more about the manual on the Appendix 1). There are annual rehearsals and 10 shorter Picture 3: French civil protection helicopter in a SAR mission. Photo courtesy of SDIS62, France. 1 In case the army s assistance is required, the maritime operations, including ship fires, are managed by the Maritime Prefect in cooperation with the French navy. For operations that do not involve maritime SAR, only the navy can be in-volved at sea. 14 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 15

11 1.4. Italy Emergency fire and rescue at sea In Italy, emergency fire and rescue at sea are provided by the Port Firefighting Service, established in 1940 under law 690. As set out in this law, the service is the responsibility of the Port Commander and performed by the provincial fire in ports and within their jurisdiction, both on land and on board ships. The service also in-cludes general technical assistance. For this purpose, port detachments were created and equipped with appropriate firefighting vessels in the 20 harbour cities with the greatest maritime traffic. been made, the Coast Guard provides its own units or, if needed, third party units to transport fire service operators. There is no special equipment for emergency response teams. They use standard fire service equipment. Personnel wear SOLAS lifebelts while on board the nautical vessels of the fire service. All personnel that board vessels are expected to use these. Almost all of the equipment is located on board the nautical vessels. The various people involved in operations communicate via marine VHF radio. On board ships, fire may use P3/95 fire service radio, although marine VHF radio is also preferred in this context for reasons of convenience. Another set of standards, culminating in the National SAR (Port Firefighting Service) Plan in 1996, extended the tasks undertaken by fire brigades to participate in maritime SAR activities, coordinated by the Maritime Authority. In addition, a presidential decree in extended the institutional work of fire brigades (which involves protecting the safety of persons and safeguarding goods) to include service at sea. In Italy, the Coast Guard (MRCC/MRSC) is responsible for rescue operations while the fire brigades provide technical guidance on using available resources during firefighting operations, working on board ships and maintaining contact with the Coast Guard and master of the ship. Rescue and life-saving operations, fire control and preservation of goods are prioritised. There are currently 24 port detachments and they normally operate as a 24/7 service. As the emergency response team is required to participate, and others involved must await its arrival, the response speed varies from one organisation to another. The speed of the nautical vessels (which varies from 12 to 28/30 knots) has an impact on the speed of the response. Currently, there are also international agreements to operate in Slovenian waters. Depending on the nautical detachments, the emergency response team has four or five operators (0+1+4). All fire brigades participating in emergency naval response teams are made up of professional firefighters that have taken or will take a special course in one of the available naval simulators. Under the terms of the Standard Operational Procedures of Trieste, CBRN personnel may be dispatched with nautical detachments to monitor these parameters. Service officials may also be sent. A team may therefore be composed of (CBRN). The plan also covers alerts and sending a subsequent second team (0+1+4) as soon as possible. All fire service personnel belonging to a naval detachment headquarters must undertake a one-week fire at sea course on one of the available simulators. There is no obligatory for all the personnel, but exercises or visits on board ships may be organised occasionally. Related to this, all fire brigades of port cities will soon participate in special firefighting course on ship simulator in order to support response at sea. These courses will involve more than 200 people in Trieste alone and thousands throughout Italy; the participants will be especially trained to work on ships, 24/7. Picture 4: Italian emergency response team boarding to a vessel. Photo courtesy of VVF Trieste, Italy Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires In Italy, ordinary fire service response teams must undergo a one-week course in order to provide firefighting on board ships. This course is taken at a national fire service centre and it is based on naval firefighting guidelines drafted by national nautical experts. The involves performing manoeuvres on a Kidde naval simulator and visiting a ship/ships to familiarise the students with the naval environment. Not all personnel have been trained at present. Italian fire brigades almost always use naval vessels to reach ships in danger, helicopters are used rarely and only in very specific cases. Under the agreements that have 2 No. 64, of 2012, Regulations for the National Fire Corps Service pursuant to Article 140 of Legislative Decree no. 217, of (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 17

12 Rescue degree programme system Full-time rescue personnel in Italy are required to complete one-year course at the Central Firefighting Schools in Rome. To apply for the course, the applicant must have a middle school leaver s certificate and sufficient experience as an occa-sional firefighter. To be an occasional firefighter one must have served in the military as an auxiliary firefighter or passed a course lasting at least 120 hours and including a final exam. In Italy, rescue is provided progressively, with earlier job tasks and related serving as the foundation for taking on more demanding tasks. As a rule, a firefighter can participate in the national round of applications for higher-level positions after working in a lower-level position for a certain period of time. If the applicant is successful, a round of for the new position follows. Degree programme for crew To take part in the most recent round of applications to become a permanent firefight-er, one must have already gained experience as an occasional firefighter. If the application is successful, the candidate must pass a one-year theoreti-cal/practical course on themes relating to firefighting activities at the Central Fire-fighting Schools in Rome. One week out of this year is spent on first aid techniques, but fire at sea is not specifically dealt with. Degree programme for sub-officers After five years of service as a permanent firefighter, theoretically (depending on the posts available within the organisation) one may make a national application for Crew Manager. If the application is successful, the candidate must pass a course that varies in terms of duration. The Station Manager is normally responsible for managing shifts and, in the event of operations requiring the intervention of several teams, may take on direction of the operations. Fire Academy in Rome. Twenty per cent of posts opened for application are re-served for technical/operational personnel (Firefighting Inspectors). Entry to executive roles (first executive, senior executive and general executive) is ob-tained only after directorship experience, through comparative examination of the candidate s merits and by passing a three-month course with a final exam. Basic MIRG courses The fire at sea course lasts five days and it is organised at one of the national fire service centres. The purpose of this course is to provide a general overview of the maritime environment and the firefighting techniques to be used on board ships, with the aim of guaranteeing greater efficiency when responding to fires and a higher level of safety for operators. The course involves three days divided between theory and practice performing manoeuvres on a Kidde naval simulator. One day of the course is used to visit a ship, where the students familiarise themselves with the naval environment. Through this visit, they gain both practical and theoretical designed by national nautical in-structors as set out in the naval firefighting guidelines drafted by national nautical ex-perts. One day of the is dedicated to studying real-life cases and undertaking a final exam. The courses are organised by national nautical instructors from various naval detachment headquarters and are undertaken by personnel operating at these headquarters. The cost of these courses is borne by the Central Division for National Fire Corps Training. The current course does not involve different teaching levels. In-service Firefighting manoeuvres on board ships are occasionally organised in association with the Coast Guard. That said, personnel that have passed the fire at sea course are not required to undertake any special. After five years of service as Crew Manager, theoretically (depending on the posts available within the organisation) one may make a national application for Station Manager. If the application is successful, the candidate must pass a course lasting at least three months. Degree programme for officers Depending on the vacancies within the organisation, national calls for applications are regularly announced for the position of Firefighting Inspector. Some posts are re-served for internal personnel (Crew Manager and Station Manager) with secondary school leaver s certificates and adequate service experience. Subsequently, firefight-ers must undertake a six-month course and pass a final exam to start working in the role. Firefighting Inspectors may cover more varied roles, generally relating to the coordination of operations. Entry to directorship roles is obtained through an external course. In order to take this external course, a degree in engineering or architecture is required. After passing this course, the candidate must then take a course lasting at least two years at the Nation-al 18 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 19

13 1.5. Netherlands Emergency fire and rescue at sea The Netherlands is divided into 25 safety regions that have a legal basis in the law on Safety Regions. In accordance with the Law on the Safety Regions, the fire and res-cue are obligated to react to maritime incidents in their own area of responsibility, which consists of harbours, docks, inland waterways (such as rivers, creeks and channels) and areas in close proximity to the shore within the territorial borders of the Safety Region. The General Coordinator of the preparedness plan for the North Sea is the federal government. According to the law on maritime incidents, the fire and rescue can be called upon to participate in maritime SAR. Not all fire and rescue have MIRG expertise or on-call teams. The Netherlands has two MIRG teams on continual standby (24/7), one located in Rotterdam and one in Zeeland. Rotterdam and Zeeland are the two regions in the Netherlands that have a MIRG team standby because of the large volume of shipping activities in the region and the traffic to and from the port of Rotterdam. There are some notable differences between the two MIRG teams in the area of liability, funding and transportation. Rotterdam has made arrangements with the Dutch government for liability coverage, damage and expenses for the deployment of her team. Zeeland carries its own responsibility in the region and pays for the cost of their operations. In accordance with contracts and conventions, the teams are also availa-ble for use in other countries. and carry out a variety of rescue tasks in their daily work. Fire and rescue are obligated to handle routine incidents in the manner they see most fit, irre-spective of whether specially trained teams have been alerted to incidents at sea or not. The Netherlands has no national MIRG system, but the two teams are building on a similar approach. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG operations are responsible for the planning, implementation and development of supplementary MIRG in cooperation with regional and national authorities. Team members must practise a variety of maritime SAR topics several times per year. Sea survival is mandatory every two years. All team members are equipped with immersion suits suitable for maritime SAR, automatic life jackets (SOLAS), helmets, and personal locator beacons (PLB). The teams equipment is stored in premises that have signed contracts with the fire and rescue. MIRG teams have separate personal bags for carrying personal equipment, as well as special plastic peli cases for carrying team-specific equipment. Different equipment is packed in the cases depending on the nature of the task. Contact between MIRG teams and the Coastguard is handled in accordance with the situation, but a satellite phone is usually used for communications. When aboard a distress vessel, team members communicate with each other using tetra radio. Despite the differences between Rotterdam and Zeeland the focus for the coming years is to work towards a more integrated and uniform MIRG capability for the Neth-erlands. The Dutch Coastguard is responsible for the SAR implementation and operational preparations in the Netherlands. Therefore the on-site responsibility for MIRG operations on the North Sea is held by the maritime SAR agency, which is the Coastguard, headquartered in Den Helder (MRCC). The Coastguard decides which team is deployed to the distress vessel. When operating on distress vessels, MIRG teams act in accordance with international agreements and the directions issued by the master of the vessel. The most important task of the MIRG team, and the core of its operating idea, is to provide support to the crew of the distress vessel in accordance with the guidelines specified by the master of the vessel. The aim is to avoid having to evacu-ate the vessel by halting the escalation of the accident and thereby limit it and gain additional time for saving people. The MIRG teams bases/stations are in Rotterdam and in Vlissingen. Both teams are available for deployment throughout Dutch waters. The team of Zeeland deploys within half an hour when transfered by ship to the distress vessel. Zeeland conducts maritime ship to ship transfer and can be deployed with helicopters but Zeeland has no agreements at this time for securing air transport resources. The team of Rotterdam deploys within in maximum of one our because the Rotterdam primarily use dedicated maritime SAR helicopters to transfer to the target. The Rotterdam has agreements with the harbour authorities to deploy with their helicopter. The helicopter of the harbour authorities is also a SAR helicopter. Surface vessels can also be used if required, but there must be special grounds for doing so. Helicopters are for Rotterdam always the first choice because for reasons of safety. The usual size of a complete MIRG team Zeeland is 6+6 and the MIRG team Rotter-dam is 9+6. The composition of the team may vary depending on the nature of the op-eration and the distance from the accident site, but the team s basic size is 12 for Zee-land and 15 for Rotterdam. Both MIRG teams are trained in all of the specialised skills required to deal with maritime incidents. All team members are professionals in their own fields Picture 5: A MIRG man being winched from the Dutch SAR helicopter. Photo courtesy of Kent Fire and Rescue Service, England, UK. 20 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 21

14 Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires The broad-ranging expertise of the Dutch fire and rescue provides a good foundation for national MIRG operations. For example, basic ship firefighting and complex building techniques provide a good standard for further developing the MIRG knowledge of MIRG team members. Specialised and supplementary facilitates the integration of this expertise into operational preparedness in maritime search and rescue. Furthermore, some team members have extensive knowledge of shipbuilding, regulations, SAR or other issues based on their day-to-day jobs. The Dutch regional MIRG system is based on supplementing the basic exper-tise gained from vocational qualifications in rescue with supplementary train-ing courses and in-service. The fire and rescue engaging in MIRG operations and the Dutch Coastguard participate in organising MIRG. At the moment, only Rotterdam engages in in-tegrated with the coast guard. The idea is that the Zeeland MIRG team will become involved in the second half of Rescue degree programme system Full-time and voluntary fire and rescue personnel in the Netherlands are required to have a vocational degree in rescue approved by the Ministry of Safety and Justice. Full-time and volunteer firefighters both complete the same education and are considered equal. Training leading to a degree is provided by the Institute of Physical Safety, which is run by the State. The degree programme for sub-officers consists of 418 hours. This degree pro-gramme includes limited knowledge modules on accident prevention and personnel leadership. Degree programme for officers The degree programme for officers consists of one and a half years of full-time study at the academy in Arnhem. Parts of the programme can be completed through a mod-ular approach over a period of several years. Basic MIRG courses The Netherlands currently has no agreed MIRG or supplemental course at a national level besides the basic course. Rotterdam and Vlissingen do want to engage in obtaining a national programme including the SAR authorities at a national level. At the moment the MIRG courses are run regionally. The basic MIRG course for crew and officers is about 70 hours. The course is intend-ed to enable crew and officers to apply the expertise in rescue they have gained from their degree programme and work experience to performing MIRG tasks in a shipboard environment and ensure their occupational safety. The basic structure of the course consists of two theory days, two days on a simulator, a rescue exercise, and a practical day. Sea survival, HUET, winching and ship-to-ship transfer is compulsory. Completion of this course is a precondition for serving in MIRG tasks. There are four levels of degree programmes for rescue in the Netherlands: Crew Sub-officer Officer Specialisations The starting point has been that the degrees are taken progressively, with each lower degree providing the necessary qualifications for the next. However, in recent years, it has been possible to start these studies at the officer level. In such cases, the degree also covers the basics of operational activities. Degree programme for crew The degree programme for crew degree in rescue consists of 360 study hours. Depending on the trainee s full-time or voluntary background, the duration of the programme varies from several weeks to one and a half years. The degree is a postsecondary programme; that is, students must have completed either a vocational or upper secondary degree. The studies do not include general education. The course includes four main themes: firefighting, technical rescue, hazmat and water and maritime incidents (with a greater focus on issues such as support for rescue diving). Degree programme for sub-officers Persons who have completed the sub-officer degree programme serve as the foremen of rescue units (fire sub-officer). A completed degree in rescue is a requirement for admission into the sub-officer programme. In MIRG tasks, fire sub-officers lead the teams while participating in the hands-on performance of tasks. 22 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 23

15 1.6. The United Kingdom Emergency fire and rescue at sea In accordance with the Fire Services Act 2004, the fire and rescue are obli-gated to launch operations in their own area of statutory responsibility, that is, har-bours and inland waterways. As an additional response the UK has a small number of declared coastal Fire and Rescue Maritime Response (FRMR) teams on continual standby, which are available to deploy to an incident at sea. This capability sits outside of each service s statutory responsibility. Fire and rescue that participate in FRMR operations are responsible for the costs incurred by their own operations. During joint exercises, each organisation is responsible for its own expenses. Contact between FRMR teams and the Coastguard Operations Centre is handled in accordance with the situation via marine band radio and a FRMR Liaison Officer who goes to the Coastguard Operations Centre to support the coordination of the re-sponse to the incident. This may also be supplemented by mobile phone, satellite phone and airwave radio dependant on signal, range and connections. When aboard a distressed vessel, FRMR team members communicate with each other using specialised highfrequency handheld radios and/or the ship s on-board, portable radios. The FRMR team also maintain direct communication with the Coastguard Operations Centre via Marine Band radio. Her Majesty s Coastguard, part of the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), is responsible for coordinating the response to an incident at sea. When a request for fire-fighting assistance is made by a ship to a UK Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC) which provides a Rescue Coordination Centre function, the Coastguard Operations Centre will set up a conference call between them, the Ships Master and the FRMR National Coordinator (FNC) to decide if a FRMR response is necessary and appropri-ate. If the FRMR is agreed to be sent to the situation, the FRMR National Coordinator will then risk assess deployment options and contact the relevant declared capability and discuss this with the Lead FRMR officer and/or Senior dut manager to stand up (prepare to mobilise) the FRMR teams to be deployed. The most important task of the FRMR team, and the core of its operating idea, is to provide support to the crew of the distress vessel in accordance with the guidelines specified by the master of the vessel, and to prevent a mass evacuation at sea. To enable prompt support the FRMR National Coordinator can also provide remote tactical advice to the ships master whilst the FRMR teams are being deployed. When on board the UK FRMR teams adopt a contain and maintain strategy in order to get the vessel into the nearest place of refuge. The UK currently has eight declared teams around the UK coastline available 24/7 for an at sea response. The range of capabilities is from a two-person assessment team to a sixperson command team with a six-person support team. The UK also has haz-mat teams, Technical Rescue teams, special diving teams and is developing a ma-rauding terrorist firearms attack (MTFA) capability. All declared FRMR teams are trained to an agreed standard as per each ele-ment within the FRMR Training Manual. There are 10 elements in total to achieve in order to become a FRMR team member. SAR helicopters available through the Maritime Coastguard Agency may be used to transport FRMR personnel to a casualty vessel. FRMR teams are also able to develop memorandums of understanding with local tug providers or pilot boats in order for a seaborne response option as required. All team members are equipped with immersion suits suitable for maritime SAR, life jackets (SOLAS and CAA), Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS) or PSTASS, side impact helmets, and personal locator beacons (PLB). The teams equipment is stored in various premises or holding areas within each fire and rescue service that have a declared capability. FRMR teams have separate personal bags for carrying personal equipment, as well as special helicopter load bags (HLBs) with prearranged loading and weight plans for carrying team- and incident-specific equipment. Different equip-ment is packed in the cases depending on the nature of the task. Picture 6: Kent Fire and Rescue Service s FRMR team at the MIRG EU large scale exercise in Photo courtesy of Kent Fire and Rescue Service, England, UK Training fire and rescue personnel to deal with ship fires 3 Within each declared FRMR team the expert comes from the Fire and Rescue Maritime Response Training Manual and the elements contained within. This is up to each Fire and Rescue Maritime Response team Lead Officer to ensure competence is maintained. The FRMR Lead Officer in each Fire and Rescue Service will also hold regular exer-cises and events with both the Coastguard Operations Centre and include (where applicable) the UK National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC). They will al-so need to engage with external shipping companies and agents to allow on board to simulate a realistic environment wherever possible. From the perspective of expertise management, the FRMR system is based on utilising the nationally recognised Incident Command System (ICS) and the JESIP 3 When referring to the UK within this doc it is in relation to Kent Fire and Rescue Service only. There may be some synergy with other fire and rescue and some nationally adopted similar skills, national guidance and programmes but the information given is not a true representation of the UK as a whole. 24 (96) Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Group Project (96) 25