Development and integration of a common training system for trainers from fire-rescue departments working with children and young people in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Estonia and the Federal Republic of Germany Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development and integration of a common training system for trainers from fire-rescue departments working with children and young people in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Estonia and the Federal Republic of Germany

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

In view of the common mission of the three project partners organizations, which is to protect human life, the realization of this project provided a unique opportunity for developing an innovative, “user-friendly” and efficient common training system at EU and national level. Through the joint activities under the project and the transnational partnership each partner were able to contribute with their own experience and shared their best practices creating a unified training platform at EU level.
Based on their needs, each partner are able to make the best use of project results and adapt the delivered outputs to a national level.

The project was targeted at increasing the professional training capacity of trainers, working with children and youth in the field of fire safety awareness-raising, preparedness and fire safety skills. This was achieved by developing and integrating an innovative common training system at EU and national level through the exchange of good practices and existing trends in the three partner countries and by promoting cross-border cooperation.

The Applicant organization of the project was the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate General to the Ministry of the Interior of Bulgaria (FSCP DG) and project partners were: Estonian Rescue Board (ERB) and Youth Fire Brigade Suhl – Germany (YFBS). Each project partner trained 12 trainers from their country, which in turn can train children and youth fire teams (CYFT) in the field of fire safety and civil protection. In their work with the young target groups, the trained trainers can use educational-methodological materials (compliant and specifically adapted to children’s needs and interests), which they developed under the present project.

To ensure efficient and timely project implementation, each project partner established an internal Project Management Team (PMT), which was represented by a team leader and by a staff of experts having relevant expertise to the project activities. The PMTs of each partner held regular monthly meetings (at internal level) to discuss and report on project progress and eventual obstacles to project implementation and measures for overcoming them. At international level, the PMTs of each partner had meetings twice a year (Transnational project meetings) to discuss and report on project progress and to define future tasks and priorities.

The results are:
1. Trained trainers through the exchange of good practices and transnational cooperation – 36 employees from the fire-rescue departments of FSCP DG, ERB and YFBS.
2. Developed educational-methodological materials needed for the trainers to work with children and young people.
3. Provided access to the educational-methodological materials.
4. Provided educational – methodological materials, as well as access to the on-line training for educational Ministries (in Bulgaria, Estonia and Germany) to enable the results to reach to the widest possible range of users and especially teachers, who wish to integrate into the idea.
5. Conducted international competition (multiplier event) and supplied equipment.
6. Conducted information campaign among the population to promote the project results.

We developed:
– educational books: „Mission 1: Education” and „Mission 2: Firefighters` games”;
– educational games: „Firefighters` tactics“, “112 Memory” , “Domino”, “Rescue board game”, “Peek & Guess”;
– Song for Hydro;
– videos and other promotional materials.

The transnational partnership under this project had a double impact on two levels: both at EU level and at national level. Each partner contributed with their own experience in the field of training children and youth for fire safety and civil protection, but was also benefit from the experience and best practices of the rest of the partners. In this relation, each project partner was and still is able to apply the project results to their own respective training systems, which in turn provides a unique opportunity for each project partner to upgrade and strengthen their training capacity. Considering the open access of the project deliverable, the common training system outputs are available to fire-rescue departments in Europe and interested stakeholders. Through this project it was created a wide European network, which offers open access to a large number of interested target groups and enables future use of the project outputs and ensures project sustainability.

Last but not least, the project established long-lasting partnerships and laid the foundations for future international initiatives in the field of fire safety and civil protection targeted at the youth and children. Through this project, it was created a fire safety and disaster resilience/fire safety and disaster awareness skills and responsible behavior in members of our societies, starting from the youngest ones. This in turn provided an excellent future recruitment base for fire-rescue departments.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 260597,17 Eur

Project Coordinator

GLAVNA DIREKTSIA POJARNA BEZOPASNOST I ZASHTITA NA NASELENIETO & Country: BG

Project Partners

• ESTONIAN RESCUE BOARD
• Jugendfeuerwehr Suhl