Flagship projects joint forces for the EUSBSR Annual Forum

Four flagship projects of PA Secure and PA Safe joint their forces to show the participants of the EUSBSR Annual Forum of how joint international exercises can improve countries’ preparedness for all sorts of hazards, and prevent loss of lives and money. The session was called “Exercises as tools for building a resilient BSR post-2020 – from the round-table to the field”. The panel discussion part focused on the life-cycle of exercises, from the identification of the problems to be addressed to the logistics and evaluation, as well as on how the results of joint exercises can be used efficiently to improve practice.

The Panel: Torbjörn Lindström (HAZARD), Teemu Niemelä (ChemSAR), Else Timms (Balex Delta and DiveSMART Baltic), Jonas Westerberg (DiveSMART Baltic), Arya Honarmand (Balex Delta and DG ECHO) and the moderator Christer Pursiainen. Photo Mariikka Whiteman

 

In addition to the panel discussion, the audience had an opportunity to see a demonstration where several authorities from different counties exercised together. The meaning was also to explain why such international exercises are needed and how the whole region benefits from the lessons learned from them. This was an unique chance for the audience to see such exercise, and it was something very unique for the Annual Forum as well.

The exercise demo was narrated to the audience by Jürgen Krempin (HAZARD). Photo Mariikka Whiteman
A barrel leaking unknown hazardous substance was secured into a salvage drum. Photo Mariikka Whiteman
The salvage drum was being prepared for a safe shipment to a disposal or treatment facilities. Photo Mariikka Whiteman
The contaminated divers were decontaminated. Photo Mariikka Whiteman

 

Such a complex undertaking was made possible thanks to the common efforts of several organisations, agencies, projects and individual experts from the whole Baltic Sea Region: Estonian Rescue Board and Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and port authorities, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Border Guard and Swedish Coast Guard, as well as Interreg BSR projects ChemSAR, HAZARD and DiveSMART Baltic.

You can find more pictures and videos of the exercise here:

Video of the Panel Discussion

Video of the exercise

Tallinna TV news from 6:38

Pictures (Estonian Foreign Ministry’s albums):

Photos of 3 June

Photos of 4 June

Photos of 5 June

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