OSCE concludes fourth EU-funded training course on sustained field operation capacity for Tajik rescuers in Khujand city
On 23 April 2021, representatives of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (Committee) in Khujand city of the Sughd region completed a four-week training course on sustained field operation capacity. The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, in co-operation with the Committee, organized the training course, which was funded by the European Union.
The course focused on improving and enhancing Sughd regional rescuers’ skills required for addressing complex rescue operations and preparing them for conducting sustainable field operations in challenging conditions, typical for the Committee’s area of operations.
During the training course, another group of 16 rescuers from Sughd (in addition to the 82 rescuers trained previously) refreshed their skills in military/topography map reading and orientation, trace tracking, and river crossing, and in search-and-rescue operations in mountainous and water areas, in transport and collapsed buildings and during mudflows, avalanches and road accidents. Participants also learned about legal, human rights and gender sensitivity when conducting rescue operations.
Participants practiced the use of new technology, such as thermal imager night vision and digital vibro-acoustic devices during search-and-rescue operations. They were also familiarized with first aid and medical safety requirements for rescuers.
Theoretical sessions were held in the Department of the Committee in the city of Khuajnd and covered topics including emergencies and their classification, climate change and its impact, and disaster preparedness and response. Practical sessions were conducted in Khujand and Kairakkum cities. Local experts from the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the Committee delivered the training sessions.
Colonel Latifzoda Hotamsho Latif, Deputy Chairperson of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence, expressed his confidence in the training courses. “They will help improve staff skills and the overall capacity of the Committee to effectively respond to natural disasters and other crises, thus making a positive contribution to the overall security of Tajikistan,” he said.
Tea Jaliashvili, Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe noted that this is the sixth out of 10 Sustained Field Operational Capacity courses that aim to train 150 rescuers by the end of the year; within the EU-funded project.
Abdumalik Abduhamidov, Commander of the Special Rapid Response Rescue Team of the Committee in the Sughd region stressed that the training courses enabled participants to learn skills that no education institution in Tajikistan offers. “The level of qualification of rescuers has been improved through this training and today we can say with confidence that the knowledge gained during the course will help us carry out high-quality rescue operations in the future,” said Abduhamidov.
The event was conducted as part of the OSCE’s project on the “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, which aims to strengthen the capacity of the Committee’s response to natural disasters in border regions.