Networking and Cooperation – Made in Belgium
Belgium is divided into zones, so-called Brandweerzones. Since 2015, the reorganization of the communal organization is considered a zone system. 250 fire brigades do their duty in 34 emergency zones. The Hulpverleningszone Centrum (BE-BZC) in East Flanders is one of these zones. The Brandweerzone Centrum is part of various international collaborations and is driving forward innovative projects with which it will also present itself at INTERSCHUTZ.
19 Mar 2020Share
Overview
To get an impression of the zone, let's start with some figures: It covers 930 square kilometres and has a population of around 555,000. 1,000 firefighters (500 professional firefighters, 500 volunteer firefighters), 80 paramedics, 90 supporting administrative staff and 12 engineers are responsible for emergency care in the BE-BZC zone. 18 municipalities and 13 fire stations belong to the zone.
Many Areas of operation
The BE-BZC is characterised by its North Sea ports of Ghent and Zeeland, as well as by industry (chemicals, steel, automotive), but also by the nearby nuclear plant (Doel). One of its main areas of operation is the large network of motorways, railways (with regular nuclear transports) and waterways. In the large towns and cities of the Zone, a good knowledge of the underground infrastructures is necessary - tunnels, metros, railway stations and car parks in the middle of densely built-up city centres with high-rise buildings, housing and old historic town centres, which are difficult to access due to their location. The potential market for fire safety and the demand for safety training in fire safety is very high. In 2019, the fire service counted a total of 13,067 firefighting operations, with paramedics on 16,140 missions.
However, the BE-BZC not only takes care of the supply on site, but is also an active partner on an international level: in the Community of Fire Fighting Associations of the European Union (FEU), in the Drones 3DSafeguard project (ITEA3), in the Brandweer network (Flanders) and in several EU projects. Two of the projects will be presented by the Brandweerzone Centrum at INTERSCHUTZ 2020.
The Autonomous Indoor/Outdoor Safety Tracking System (AIOSAT) H2020
One is the Autonomous Indoor/Outdoor Safety Tracking System (AIOSAT) H2020 . With the help of this system rescue forces can autonomously keep in touch with each other in catastrophes when there is no sufficient broadband capacity available. In films and live demos different interventions are shown and experiences are reported.
BFiresafe @ School (Erasmus+)
Another project is BFiresafe @ School (Erasmus+)
It is about education, training and practice for students and teachers on the topics 'Minding Myself' - concept of the safe person, fire science, fire safety, emergency services, case studies - learning from past incidents, awareness of fire safety in the home, awareness of fire safety in schools, emergency action plans, but also careers in the fire service. The course material uses new techniques such as augmented reality or the robot James.
Make Processes more effective and share Knowledge
Finally, the Brandweerzone Centrum introduces the Brandweer network and thus the organisational structure in emergency management in Belgium. In the Brandweer network, the 20 Flemish fire brigade zones in Belgium and Flemish association of cities and municipalities (VVSG) work together. The common goal: to make processes more effective and share knowledge. The network is thus also representative of the main theme of INTERSCHUTZ 2020, namely the networking of institutions and players in the fire and rescue services.
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