Bulgaria and Vasil Levski Sofia Airport host the first ever international training on Aviation Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF). The practical session today was attended by Jesús Caballero – CEO of SOF Connect and Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov – Director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection” to the Ministry of Interior. The training will continue until
June 20.
“International training of such scale is important for the development of all the teams that look after passenger safety and aviation operations on a daily basis. We are confident that the initiative will contribute to establishing Bulgaria capital’s airport as a leading regional and European hub for training, knowledge exchange and innovation in the field of emergency rescue.”, said Jesús Caballero.
“Congratulations to SOF Connect for creating a modern European training centre here in Bulgaria and on the airport’s territory. This is a strategic investment that provides access to international know-how and valuable professional experience. Thank you for investing in equipment, training and people – because every safe journey starts with well-trained teams. It is crucial that training is conducted in conditions as close to reality as possible – this guarantees an adequate response to a real incident. I am proud of the professionalism and dedication of all firefighters who take care of the safety of passengers and employees on a daily basis,” said Chief Commissioner Alexandar Dzhartov.
A total of 90 experts are part of the first international training and they are divided into 4 groups and each group will be trained in theory and practice for one week. Bulgarian and international specialists and representatives of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Air Force as well as specialists from Cyprus and Belgium are participating in the training. The training is led by Aviation Rescue Services Australia, an organisation with many years of experience in the field of ARFF. They have trained over 10 000 aviation emergency response professionals in over 20 countries worldwide.
The training programme includes: how to react to incidents with burning aircraft, evacuation of passengers, runway rescue, as well as working with specialised equipment such as fire engines and equipment.
The practical sessions take place near Terminal 2 and will be visible to passengers and visitors. It is possible that smoke and fire will be visible during the training – this is part of the pre-planned actions in a controlled environment. These are necessary to ensure that rescue teams are trained in a real environment.
It is important for all travellers and the people who meet and send them to know that these are planned sessions that are conducted under strict safety rules and measures. During the sessions flights will not be affected and the airport will operate normally.
The training is designed to ensure that the firefighting teams at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport meet the highest international standards for maintaining operational readiness.
Photos from the practical session can be downloaded from https://tinyurl.com/bddc9jmv