Training on sea rescue procedures for 13 members of the HRT at Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, in Oslo

With 13 members of the HRT, who are actively involved in the sea rescue, has begun its participation to the educational program organized in Oslo by the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet, RS), with which the HRT is twinned.

The educational program included procedures of search and rescue in the sea and participated in it volunteers, members from the departments of Lesvos, Samos, Kos, Corfu, Heraklion and from the Central Administration in Thessaloniki. The group of the trainees was escorted in Oslo by the vice president of the team, Nikos Priporas, who had the chance to meet, at the offices of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, with the Foreign Minister of the Norwegian government, responsible for the European Union’s issues, Vidar Helgesen and to discuss together about the action of the HRT in Lesvos, Samos and Kos and also about its contribution to the search and rescue operations, as well as to the provision of humanitarian aid for the refugees. Indeed, during this meeting the help was announced, that was about to be provided by the Norwegian government in the context of a common program for help to refugees submitted by the RS and the Hellenic Rescue Team.

Furthermore, the members of the HRT met with the General Secretary of the RS, Rikke Lind and the other representatives of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, whom they informed about their work, especially on the islands where they first welcome the refugee flows.

This program would be particularly useful for the members of the HRT from Lesvos, Samos and Kow, where they are now called on a daily basis to participate in rescue operations and who are necessary to be able to help subsidiary in the work of the Port Authority. In addition, the training was included to the wider context of the developed cooperation between the two organizations since last June, starting with the donation of a rescue vessel on behalf of the RS to the HRT, which already operates in Kos.

The cooperation of the RS with the HRT will be continued in the next months, as two new courses have already been scheduled for 2016.