Getting ready for the ChemSAR Final Conference

Since the international live exercise of 13 September, ChemSAR partners have been busy to study the received feedback and external evaluation reports to improve and revise the project products. Partners have met in various meetings and online sessions to make the most of the gained new information as the project is already on the final stretch. Now partners are getting ready for the ChemSAR Final Conference to present the project outcome.

Why ChemSAR?

The ChemSAR project started as a response to the discovered lack of operational plans and standard operational procedures (SOP) for search and rescue (SAR) operations applicable to cases of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) incidents in the Baltic Sea Region. As enormous quantities of different chemicals are all the time transported by sea, the risk of a major incident is evident and this challenge needed to be tackled. ChemSAR partners have now jointly created the standard operational procedures (SOP) and operational plan which will – when ready and available – increase the safety of rescue operations in HNS incidents, both for the rescuees and the rescue crews. The SOPs have already been tested in tabletop, and simulator exercises as well as in a live exercise at sea, all with external experts taking part as role players or observers.

 

In addition to SOPs, partners have created an eLearning platform and materials, the aim of which is to enable access to same kind of information related to rescue operations in HNS incidents for the whole BSR region and this way enhance the preparedness and know-how. Partners have also developed the chemical data portal to support maritime authorities in HNS incidents.

ChemSAR Final Conference tells it all

The ChemSAR Final Conference will introduce the project’s products, namely the common standardized guidelines, chemical data portal, and eLearning environment and materials which all support rescue operations involving hazardous and noxious substances. In the Final Conference, also experts and authorities will demonstrate the advantages of the produced outcome.

The conference will take place on 6 February 2019 in Helsinki, Finland. Remember to register at https://konsta.utu.fi/Default.aspx?tabid=88&tap=5258 latest on 23 January 2019.

Please see the Conference programme.