newsnew volume 2 issue 2 online version

Welcometothe second issue forthisyear oftheEmergencyResponseandRescue

Corps newsletter. The aim of this newsletter is to share with our readers our

achievements, projects and experiences. It is highly advised that in order to stay

tunedwiththecurrentERRCactivities,tofollowusonFacebookandonourwebsite.

FromtheEditor

Inthisissue

TheWordoftheHon.Presi-dentofE.R.R.C.

Page2

MeetingwiththePrimeMinisterofMalta

Page3

Maltanationalaquariumcleanup

Page3

Rescueswimmertraining

inNorway

Page4

Jobwelldone Page5

VeterinaryLifeSupportTrainingtoMaltaPolice,CPDandAnimalWelfareDepartment

Page6

Calmwaters Page8

Abseilingforall Page9

Presidentsaward Page10

Massrescueatsea Page10

TrainingwiththeAFM Page11

CadetCamp Page12

Summer 2013

Volume 2 Issue 2 Mobile: 00356 99800886 Email: [email protected]

ERRC Newsletter - Volume 2 Issue 2

The Word of the Hon. President of E.R.R.C.

Letussaveyounghealthylives!

Another summer is history and it will be remembered for the

recordincidentsERRClifeguardshadtointervenetosavelivesand

brisk people to safety from imminent and preserved danger. A

growingtrendof jumpingfromcliffedgesandcavezoneswithout

even knowing the depths of waters are the main cause of these

injuries. ERRC and several Malta Government Ministries and

Departmentswill be embarking on a national campaign to bring awareness to the general public

aboutthisproblem.Accidentsareoccurringandareforeverdamagingorstealingawayyounglives

followingaspinalorheadinjuryfollowingajump.Whatawasteofhealthylife!Letusturnthetrend

andmakeallawareofthepossibledangersandnecessaryprecautionstobetaken.

Thankingtwonationalleaders

IhavehadtheprivilegetomeetandtalktothepreviousandthepresentPrimeMinisterofMalta.I

reallywould liketo thankthepreviousPrimeMinister, theHonourableDrLawrenceGonziandhis

Government for all the cooperation extended to ERRC since its inception. The ERRC Executive

CommitteealsohadthepleasureofmeetingthepresentPrimeMinisterDrJosephMuscatatCastile,a

delegation I had theprivilegeof leading. The same courtesy and commitment of cooperationwas

extendedandERRCasinthepasthaspledgeditscommitmenttoserveourcountryandgovernment,

whoeveritmightbe.

Anewimportantinitiative

ERRChas always been a great source of genuine volunteerism. I amproud to have proposed the

establishmentoftheERRCVolunteeroftheYearAwardandtheERRCCadetoftheYearAward.Two

awardswhichwill be awarded in nextmonth for the irst time ever. ERRC volunteerism is to be

awardedfromthisyearonwards.


Meeting with the Prime Minister of Malta

Malta national aquarium cleanup

VolunteersformtheTechnicalRescueunit

are being involved on regular basis,

cleaningtheroofofthenationalaquarium

inQawraMalta.Thepublicaquariumhas

26 display tanks with, amongst others,

Mediterranean ish, including ish

commonly found in Maltese waters

together with replicas of historical

artefacts that one can ind in the seas

aroundtheMalteseislands.

Onthe12August,anERRCdelegationmadeacourtesyvisittothePrimeMinister,HonJosephMuscat.

TheERRCdelegationwasmadeupofDrRaymondXerri,ERRCHon.President,MrMarioSaliba,ERRC

Vice President, Mr Chalie Christ Abela and Mr Eric Grech, Committee Members and Mr Charlie

Micallef,VolunteersCoordinator.

During themeeting, a brief outline of the projects the EmergencyResponse andRescue Corps had

coordinatedsinceitsfoundationinJanuary2011hasbeenpresented.TheseprojectsincludedCombat

Medic Programs, the organizing of Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support courses and Veterinary Life

Supportcourses,allofwhichtheGovernmentofMaltawasalwaysabene iciary.Infact,membersof

the Armed Forces ofMaltaHealthDepartment,Malta Police andAnimalWelfareDepartmentwere

sometobene itfromthesecoursesforfree.TheERRCliketothankthegovernmentforitssupport

bysecondingtwogovernmentof icialswiththeorganization.


Rescue swimmer training in Norway

Currently two Emergency

Response and Rescue Corps

volunteers and a Armed

ForcesofMaltaseniorrescuer

attended a 15‐day intensive

course in water rescue

swimmer and Search and

Rescue,using latestSARboats

and helicopters as part of the

continuous professional

developmenttraining.

The initiative has be co

inanced by the European

CommissionundertheLeonar‐

do Mobility Programme

managed by the European

Union Programmes Agency

(EUPA) and the Norwegian

Society for Sea Rescue. This

project was made possible

thanks to the technical

assistance provided by the

Malta‐EU Steering and Action

Committee (MEUSAC) which

has assisted us during the

planning and design of the

project.


Job well done


Veterinary Life Support Training to Malta Police, CPD and Animal Welfare

The Malta Police Dog Section and Mounted Section have successfully completed training in

VeterinaryLifeSupportLevel1andLevel2forK9andVeterinaryLifeSupportHorseEditionrespec‐

tively.Itwasspreadoverthreedays,from26to28June.

ThetrainingwassponsoredandorganisedbytheEmergencyResponseandRescueCorps(E.R.R.C.)

incollaborationwiththeEuropeanAssociationofEmergencyMedicalTechniciansandParamedics.

The training covered both theory and practical aspects of medical emergencies and life support

techniquesforinjuredworkingdogsandhorses.


Atotaloftwenty‐eightparticipantsattendedforthistraining.Fourof icersfromtheCivilProtection

Department,threefromtheAnimalWelfareDepartment,eightPolicemenfromtheDogSection,sev‐

enfromtheMountedSectionandsixfromtheEmergencyResponseandRescueCorps.Intheprocess

fourparticipantshavebeenquali iedasassistantinstructorsandinthecomingweekstheywillbe

giventheappointmentasinstructors.

TheMinisterforHomeAffairsandNationalSecurity,HonManuelMalliaattendedforthecerti icate

presentationceremony.HepraisedtheinitiativeoftheERRCandassuredthatsuchtrainingwillbe

heldinthefuture.

Calm waters

Calm Waters is a Youth Initiative

project, being run by a group of

youth members of the Emergency

ResponseandRescueCorp(ERRC).

Theprojectwillgivetheopportunity

to a number of disabled youths to

undergoapersonalisedscubadiving

programmewiththeaimtoempow‐

er themselves through sport

activities.Withtheassistanceofpro‐

fessional scuba diving instructors,

whichformpartoftheInternational

ScubaDivingAgency(ISDA),thepar‐

ticipating youthswill be supervised

and assisted throughout the

activities.

Theinitiativeisbeingfundedbythe

European Commission under the

Youth in Action Programme

managed by the European Union

Programmes Agency (EUPA). This

projectwasmadepossiblethanksto

thetechnicalassistanceprovidedby

the Malta‐EU Steering and Action

Committee (MEUSAC) which has

assistedusduring theplanning and

designoftheproject.


Abseiling for all


Abseiling for all is a Youth Initiative project,

being runby a groupof youthmembersof the

EmergencyResponseandRescueCorp (ERRC).

The project will give the opportunity to a

numberofdisabledyouthsandotheryouthsto

takepartinroperelatedactivitiesandabseiling

programme with the aim to empower

themselvesthroughsportactivities.

The initiative is being funded by the European

Commission under the Youth in Action

Programme managed by the European Union

Programmes Agency (EUPA). This project was

madepossiblethankstothetechnicalassistance

provided by the Malta‐EU Steering and Action

Committee (MEUSAC) which has assisted us

during the planning and design of the project.

Anyone interested to participate in the project

[email protected].


Presidents award

A team of six volunteers representing the

Emergency Response and Rescue Corps set out to

carry out an expedition in the Welsh countryside

with the aim of completing the President's Award

Gold challenge ‐ also known as the Duke of

Edinburgh Award. The expedition included an

80kmhikeinSnowdonia(NorthernWales),overa4

dayperiod.

Being in a foreign country, navigating your way

throughforests,passingthroughanendlessamount

of streams and rivers, and above all carrying a

rucksackweighingmore than 20kg is surely not a

task for the faint hearted. The secret behind this

is ‐ teamwork. Without the constant support that

the team members offered each other, this

challengewouldnothavebeenpossible.

Attheendoftheday,itisnotthe40hoursofhiking

thatcount,buttheadventurebehindit!

Mass rescue at sea

InAugustthreemembersattendedamassrescueatseaand

basiccivilianhelicopterrescuecourseinItaly.Thetraining

was organized by the European association of EMT and

paramedics.


Training with the AFM

ERRClifeguardshaverecentlyattendedafamiliarizationsessionwiththeAFMairwing.Thissession

wasvitalsothelifeguardsstationedinCominowouldgetfamiliarwiththe rescueequipmentand

methodology used by the AFM helicopter rescue swimmers. This was vital so as to better

streamlineoperationsinComino.ERRCprovideslifeguardingservicesduringthe summermonths

inComino

Cadet Camp


As every year, in the start of August the

Cadet section of the Emergency Response

and Rescue Corps held its annual Summer

Camp. The camp was packed as almost

every Cadet attended. The highlight of the

camp was building an eco raft. The cadets

started collecting plastic bottles months

beforethecamp,andthenhelpedtoputthe

raft together during the camp. Other

activitiesincludedsurvivalcooking,survival

shelters, games, camp ires, irst aid andas

such.TheCadetsholdtheirweeklymeetings

from 5 to 7 pm. These include indoor and

outdoor meetings during which the cadets

trainin irstaidandoutdoorlife.

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