First responders play a prominent and essential role in the everyday situations of all civil society; and among all services they provide are law enforcement, fire suppression, and emergency medical services (EMS). a fast and adequate response to emergencies in all three services can escalate rapidly and emergency responders might be able to do something to stop it if they get there in time. The police might stop an assailant from doing harm (or doing more harm than has already been done); the fire department might be able to rescue victims from a burning building; EMS might be able to resuscitate a person in cardiac arrest (one of a very small number of medical conditions guaranteed to result in death if not treated properly and quickly). In case of big disasters they also need to work with interdisciplinary teams and coordination. They everyday activities involve a lot of stressful situations and communication with subjects with special needs. It also involves a many soft skills like decision making, teamwork or stress resilience. Digital advances like satellite image analysis are tools they can incorporate to their daily activities; but as far as the technology advances they need to be trained to make an effective use of the new tools. First responders are under the need of continuous training; and that training can be provided under many tools. STRONG project proposes a serie of online courses that tackle the training need of first responders under a transversal approach; the courses are grouped by theme, not by type of first responders. The main aim of this project is to provide first responders a serie of basic skills to be able to provide an effective response to a serie of circumstances. The online courses are complemented by a digital tool to create an European Network of First Responders. Through this tool they can connect; share experiences; best practices and foster cooperation among first responders team at european level. The challenges they face are usually not circumscribed to a sole territory, so it is crucial to promote the cooperation at european level. Results during the project: Project management procedures and project plans (work plan, Monitoring and Reporting (M&R), communication and dissemination activities, quality plan) agreed and monitoring. 4 transnational meetings realized. O1. Research of the state of the art. VR applied on training courses for first responders. O2. Online course: Soft skills for first responders. O3. Online course: Weather menaces. O4. Online course: Health risks and personal risks. O5. Tool for the creation of an European Network of First Responders. 11 first responders and trainers participating in a 4 days international intensive study program (C1) 30 first responders and trainers participating in a 5 days international intensive study program (C2) Minimum of 140 people enrolled on each of the online courses.
By implementing the project, the consortium wanted to achieve the following on a European level: Provide an online tool to develop first responder skills and create an effective and efficient platform for online courses on the topic mentioned above. Throughout the project, a network between the project partners but also the (future) users of the platform was created and should be established in the future. Furthermore, the consortium wanted to share experience regarding emergency situations and the handling of them. In addition, an innovative way to raise awareness on the topic was developed. A low-threshold service for first responders can be provided with the learning platform. The project focuses on bridging the training gap for first responders, providing vital and standardized learning materials across the European Union. It emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and raising awareness within the first responder community. The approach includes virtual classrooms, flexible training options, and the goal of building stronger and more resilient communities.
As a reason for the application for STRONG the importance of first responders in urgent situations can be mentioned. Due to the world being volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, several people are involved and multiple disciplines are needed to address emergencies. A consortium with extensive expertise gained new insights and resultst. All of them were interested in the topic, passionate and eager to learn about the nexus of first response and virtual reality. Every partner provides skills, e.g. project management, research, training experience, communication abilities, which are crucial for a successful project implementation. In combination with the individual skills, the project’s needs were addressed: providing first responders with a series of basic skills to be able to provide an effective response to a series of circumstances. Besides the interests and individual motivation in the project, all partners had the opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience and importantly, created a positive change and impact on the project outcome.