One of the main objectives of the CASCADE project is to increase the knowledge and capacity of civil protection experts and city planners by developing training courses in disaster risk reduction (DRR), including climate risk assessment and the Sendai Framework for DRR. CASCADE WP 3 Leader Hamburg Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) organized the workshop ”Mapping the Training needs” in Hamburg, Germany on 26−27 September 2019.
CASCADE WP 2 and WP 4 have conducted extensive background research concerning the UN Sendai Framework, Obstacles and Barriers to Climate Change Risk Assessment in Local Authorities, the Role of Local Authorities in Climate Adaptation, the Inventory of Hazards and Risk Analysis Methodology. The results were presented at the beginning of the workshop by Ms. Nina Jernberg from the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (CBSS), Ms. Heidi Tuhkanen and Ms. Evelin Piirsalu from Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre (SEIT) and Ms. Oksana Talek and Prof. Jerzy Wolanin from The Main School of Fire Service in Poland (SGSP).
“Although activity related to local level climate risk assessments is taking place, it is not comprehensive or collaborative. A lot can be done to make the processes more effective and more efficient,” summarises Heidi Tuhkanen from SEIT.
In the afternoon Mr. Markus Jostes presented the results of the WP 3.1 survey “Training Expectations” carried out by the HFRS during summer 2019. The survey had 67 participants in total, mainly from Finland and Germany. Because the sampling received was rather slim it was agreed that the survey should be repeated in autumn 2019 and targeted to those BSR countries that weren’t active on the first round.
"“The aim of the survey was to gain knowledge about and to achieve a strong involvement of the potential end-user in contact with the topics of climate change and civil protection as well as training methods,” says Mr. Jostes from HFRS.
The afternoon continued with working in small groups. On the basis of background research and survey results, the groups reflected on what the CASCADE training courses should consist of. The groups agreed that the training should be divided in three levels: for international trainers, for national experts and for local end-users.
The results of the WP 3 survey indicated that the content of the Sendai Framework is quite unknown - only 7 out of 67 respondents were familiar with it. Based on this finding, it was agreed that it is important for the learning material to begin with an extensive introduction to the Sendai Framework and its objectives.
On the second day of the workshop the participants contemplated innovative teaching methods which could suit the training courses. As a result an idea of a three-phase study module was introduced in the workshop. Frederiksborg Fire and Rescue Service (FBBR), led by Mr. Sefic Muhic and supported by the HFRS, will begin to develop a more specific curriculum for the study module. The pilot training course will be organized in Hamburg, Germany in spring 2020.
The CASCADE project will train 22 international trainers and two national level trainers in each BSR country. It was discussed that the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) could possibly take charge of the continuance of the trainings after the project is finalized.
