Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) have successfully bid for EU funding to conduct an international exercise in the second half of 2010.
Co signatories to the bid were Lincolnshire FRS, Hampshire FRS, The Fire Service College, and organisations from Germany, Denmark and Eire.

This exercise will focus on very low likelihood high impact events that, for any affected country, may involve overseas partners. It will provide valuable training for all participants and observers and potentially provide lessons learned for the European Civil Protection community.

Click here to view an introductory video presented by Roy Wilsher.

EU Civil Protection
Community co-operation in the field of civil protection aims to better protect people, their environment, property and cultural heritage in the event of major natural or manmade disasters occurring both inside and outside the EU.
In recent years the number and severity of natural and manmade disasters has increased, with many instances overwhelming national response capacities and leading to requests for international assistance through the Civil Protection Mechanism.  For example recent disasters such as the 2004 South Asia tsunami, the 2005 US hurricanes and Pakistan earthquake, 2006 Lebanon crisis, 2007 Greece forest fires,  2008 Burma Cyclone, China earthquake and floods in South East Europe bear witness to this.

EU institutions and EU member states have over time developed co-operation for the provision of civil protection assistance in order to be as effective as possible on the site of a disaster. There is clear added-value in working together. Such co-operation allows for the pooling of resources and maximising the collective European effort on site.
The management of natural and manmade disasters is a clear example of the value of action at Community level, where national responsibility for dealing directly with disasters remains unchallenged but is facilitated and assisted through sheer collective effort.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism web site can be found at

http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/prote/mechanism.htm