Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania; BaltFloodCombat

BaltFloodCombat (BFC) is a project jointly carried out by the Estonian Rescue Board, Latvian Fire and Rescue Service and Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department under the Ministry of the Interior within the framework of Preparation Action on an EU Rapid Response Capability funded by the European Parliament. The European Commission finances 80% of the project; the remaining funds come from national budgets. The aim of the project is to create reliable and efficient national flood response capacity in the three Baltic States and to establish and register in CECIS a multinational High Capacity Pumping (HCP) module, consisting of commonly trained personnel and up-to-date equipment.

Main objectives of this project are:

-    to enhance national flood response capability;
-    to strengthen European rapid response capacity in one of the most common types of disaster;
-    to show, through the innovative approach, possibilities and ways of multilateral civil protection capacity building;
-    to contribute to the further development of civil protection modules.

Additional value to the project is given by the fact of proximity of the module’s location (the assembly point for the module before deployment will be in Lithuania, possibly close to the Lithuanian-Polish border) to the main flood-prone areas/countries in Europe (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany). These countries may be reached within 24 hours. Additional time will be needed to reach Southern European countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Balkan countries, Italy). The module is foreseen mainly for deployment within Europe by land transport (trucks).

Date of participation in the modules field exercise:

16 – 18 December 2011, Weeze, Germany

Number of modules members that will participate in the exercise:

19 persons (including logistical support)

Equipment:

The equipment (pumps, hoses, containers and ATVs) purchased for the needs of the module will be stored in the three countries and can be used as a High Capacity Pumping module for domestic emergency situations requiring use of this type of equipment as well as for deployments in Europe (in a range of 4000 km from Vilnius).

There will be 8 vehicles that participate in the exercise:

1 EST Container Truck with Container Trailer

1 EST Minibus with Trailer

1 EST Truck with Pump Trailer

1 EST Pick-up

1 LV Container Truck

1 LV Fire Truck with Pump Trailer

1 LT Container Truck with Pump Trailer

1 LT Transport Truck 

Contact person for planning the exercise:

Mr. Jaanus Teearu

E-Mail:             jaanus.teearu@rescue.ee

Phone:             + 3725027975