London firefighters support Tunisia emergency training programme
Iain Hoey
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Firefighters join Tunisia inter agency training programme
London Fire Brigade National Inter-Agency Liaison Officers (NILOs) have returned from Tunisia after a specialist training programme with the country’s National Office for Civil Protection (ONPC).
The Brigade said the work forms part of the UK-wide NILO Network managed by London Fire Brigade.
The training was designed to enhance skills for both organisations when responding to major incidents, including terrorist attacks.
Eight Tunisian Civil Protection strategic commanders took part.
Tunisia was selected following the 2015 terrorist beach attack at Port El Kantaoui in Sousse, which killed 38 people, most of them British tourists.
The programme followed on from a visit last November, described as successful in the source material.
What was covered during the joint training
The partnership is supported by the UK Government and is part of an ongoing programme to share expertise on operational challenges.
ONPC delegates shared insights into managing wildfires and described work with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry Commission to protect towns and rural communication during intense seasonal wildfires.
Tunisian officers discussed prevention, operational co-ordination and long-term resilience planning strategies.
They also shared lessons from the 2011 humanitarian crisis when up to 15,000 refugees a day crossed from Libya into Tunisia during the Arab Spring.
London Fire Brigade taught delegates about responding to complex inner-city incidents and the challenges of tackling high-rise residential fires with multi-agency co-ordination involving large scale urban evacuations.
Shaun Coltress, Deputy Assistant Commissioner working in Operational Resilience, said: “As one of the world’s busiest fire and rescue services, we have extensive experience managing complex incidents in London.
“This partnership is built on genuine collaboration.
“Both teams bring extensive professional experience and learning to the table, which is central to why this partnership is so valuable.
“Whenever there’s a major incident, such as the recent train crashes in Spain, the impact is felt globally.
“By sharing knowledge openly, we strengthen the ability of both services to protect the public, whether that’s in London, Tunisia, or anywhere our citizens’ travel.”
The visit forms part of the UK Government’s Joint Overseas Protect & Prepare Programme.
