The Civil Protection Department will step up training in order to be better prepared for disasters after reaching an agreement with its German counterpart Bundesandstalt Technisches Hilfswerk.

The agreement, signed this week, facilitates the training of department personnel abroad and on the island by foreign instructors.

Department director Peter Cordina said that although the island experienced few disasters, it nevertheless had to be prepared for any eventuality.

"We always have to be prepared for the possibility of earthquakes, fires and floods and we have had fireworks factory explosions where people were buried beneath the debris and accidents where people had to be extracted from their vehicles," he said.

Justice Ministry permanent secretary Mario Debattista, who presided over the signing ceremony, said the island had to be ready to assist if some disaster struck, even abroad if necessary.

Manfred Schmidt, a German Home Affairs Ministry representative, said the Bundesandstalt Technisches Hilfswerk was responsible for civil protection and crisis management. It was made up of 80,000 volunteers divided among 600 stations and participated in both national and international disasters.