The latest intake of recruits who joined the Civil Protection Department are undergoing an intensive course on firefighting. Once the course is completed next month, they will join the CPD volunteers’ team.

The Civil Protection Department (CPD), besides maintaining a regular fire and rescue force, has a number of volunteers under its wing.

The Specialised Personnel In Disaster and Emergency Response (SPIDER) unit consists of a group of dedicated professionals, all volunteers, from various walks of life, including managers, businessmen, nurses,IT specialists, private investigators, heavy machine operators, caterers, technicians and bankers.

This rich mixture makes a formidable team prepared to offer specialised assistance in an emergency.

To be able to assist the full-time firefighters on a voluntary basis however, one has to undergo a firefighting course. One such course started in July and will end next month, resulting in more volunteers joining the CPD.

This four-month intensive course is spread over various topics with regard to firefighting, such as hose training, fire behaviour, hazard identification practices, casualty and stretcher handling and fire cooling.

The Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Carmelo Abela, with staff from the Civil Protection Department and the new recruits who are undergoing an intensive course on firefighting before joining the regular volunteers.The Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Carmelo Abela, with staff from the Civil Protection Department and the new recruits who are undergoing an intensive course on firefighting before joining the regular volunteers.

The volunteers’ team includes specialists and instructors in USAR, rope access (rescue from heights), firefighting, logistics, scuba diving rescue, life-saving, first-aid and camping survival.

The CPD trains these volunteers once a week, besides organising occasional weekend training sessions.

Regular volunteers are easily recognised from their blue helmets during firefighting operations.Regular volunteers are easily recognised from their blue helmets during firefighting operations.

All volunteers undergo regular training in firefighting, urban search and rescue, and other emergencies to enable them to operate alongside the regular Civil Protection force or within a volunteer team, if required.

Through this rigorous training, volunteers become as proficient as regular firefighters and can respond to any emergency under the guidance of CPD officers.

Currently, the CPD has 80 active volunteers within the SPIDER unit. Recruitment is carried out on a yearly basis or as required, and carried out through interviews.

Confined space rescue from a well using a tripod rescue method.Confined space rescue from a well using a tripod rescue method.

The actual selection is carried out through a training process. This is where the majority of dropouts occur.

The CPD carries out training in a safe environment but during such sessions new recruits may realise that such work may not necessarily be what they were looking for.

Not everyone is cut out to be a firefighter and anyone who decides that this is not his calling is free to leave.

Once the required level of training is achieved, a volunteer is included in an electronic register and will be called upon to assist in any major emergencies as required.

Volunteers are easily recognised as they wear a blue helmet during firefighting operations. They have over the years assisted the CPD in all major incidents, including industrial factory fires, ship fires, cliff rescues and road traffic accidents. Volunteers are also tasked with assisting in major public events such as Isle of MTV, Joseph Calleja concerts and Notte Bianca in Valletta.

Rope rescue from heights using an aerial ropeway.Rope rescue from heights using an aerial ropeway.

The volunteers section has also been instrumental in setting up and conducting training in exercises such as the SIMIT earthquake exercise in September of last year in Gozo and Lampedusa.

This was done because in a national emergency of a severe magnitude the CPD regular forces could be overwhelmed and they can be bolstered through its volunteer section.

Last year, the volunteers section also participated alongside CPD regular forces and other CPD sections from six different member states in the PACES project which focuses on the hosting of civilians for a number of days and providing the necessary humanitarian aid following a natural disaster.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.