CPD in seven-nation disaster relief coordination programme
The Maltese Civil Protection Department is working with similar agencies in six other countries on rapid, coordinated response to major disasters under the EU Rapid Response Capability programme.
Peter Cordina, Director of Civil Protection, said the programme includes specialised training, workshops, exchange of experts and the organisation of major exercises.
The other participating countries are France (which has the leading role), Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Greece.
The aim of the project is to ensure a rapid response in case of major disasters which may hit EU member states, ranging from earthquakes, major fires, chemical incidents as well as other natural and man-made disasters.
Mr Cordina said this project was of major importance to the Civil Protection Department.
“It gives the personnel an opportunity for extensive training and it enables all the agencies to prepare to respond quickly whenever a request for assistance from other countries is made, especially where the intervention of foreign experts/rescuers is required," Mr Cordina said.
Malta’s participation will include training for the regular members of the Civil Protection Department, the Volunteer Corps and Medical Response Teams from Mater Dei Hospital.
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the project, bringing together representatives of the seven countries, will be held in Malta later this year.
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d briffa
Apr 12th 2009, 13:17
@mr Joe Grima
Read with interest the last few sentences of your comment...
The question is.. are we prepared to cater for such a disaster if it had to hit us..?
debono.l
Apr 11th 2009, 09:08
good initiative at last. Please can somebody from the Civil Protection Dept or Mater Dei Hospital, tell us who will be the Medical Response Teams involved in this exercise ??
Will these Medical Response Teams , have only doctors, only nurses, a mixture of both professions, or a multi-disciplinary team approach from the said Mater Dei.
what about medical and nursing staff from the primary health??
hope that someone other there will give us a concrete and definite reply .
Karl Camilleri
Apr 11th 2009, 01:32
Re: Joanne Micallef
Joanne you are wrong... when Sri Lanka had the famous disaster the Malta Red Cross Gozo Brach sent teams of VOLUNTARY members the most crutial zone.....adding to that the Members built a small village for homeless people.....
Ernest Vella
Apr 10th 2009, 21:00
Italy does not need Malta's help, but it could have been a good idea that the goverment asks in this moment the Italian goverment if some of our man could go and work with the Italians not just to help, but so to gain more experience on the field....as I was watching Rai they said they need psychologists etc. We can do something to our neighbours.
My prayers to those victims...maybe we Maltese must learn some things from this tragedy...and not only in the organisation
Joanne Micallef
Apr 10th 2009, 20:05
Training is good, but first hand experience is definitely better, as the persons will also learn to work under emotional pressure, which can only be present in a real emergency situation. I'm sure that there were men who wanted to go and give a helping hand in Abruzzo, I am writing this as if I'm not mistaken Malta never sends anyone to help out when a national disaster takes place in other countries.
Joe Grima
Apr 10th 2009, 19:51
This is a much-needed, albeit belated exercise that our country has been crying out loud for even if the subject is rarely mentioned in the press.As we watch the horror of what our neighbours in the Abruzzo region are going through at the moment: The loss of life, the destroyed villages and with them the destroyed lives, the pain, we cannot help thinking. Malta is not prepared for a disaster such as this. Our buildings are not earthquake proof. About time the governemnt made it a point to legislate in favour of seismic builidngs from now on. Speaking on Rai Uno today, Vittorio Sgarbi mentioned a text message he had just received from an expert , while he was on the show, saying that the next one will be "the big one" and will hit eastern Sicily. If this happens there will be no way we will be able to escape. For us it will be as if the epicentre of the earthquake will be in the north of the Island. Frightening to consider.