Why the Twente Safety Campus?

There are a number of fire brigade colleagues who also work at the ambulance service. From the fire brigade, they already practise here and we were looking for a location to really practice practically. That's how we ended up at the Twente Safety Campus. Five years ago was the first time and now we are here again.

Possibilities

Together with staff from the TSC, we walked around the grounds. We both came up with ideas and we put that together into the scenarios we practised. It was made challenging for everyone. For instance, several switching moments were added for both the ambulance service and the OVD-G who also practised along. Think of an explosion during the exercise in which self-safety plays a major role and the location has to be evacuated, or that during a deployment with a hazardous substance the impact area has to be taken into account. So we thought of something for every participant.

Structure

There is a structure to the scenarios. Among other things, there is a terrorist scenario, but we do not start with this exercise. Our structure is that the first exercise is a basic exercise. We take our time, explain again how connections work and who should switch to what. The second exercise includes, for instance, hazardous substances, the third exercise a terrorist attack and the last exercise is again a basic exercise.

We find the build-up very important, because this way our people can go home with a well-filled rucksack and a good feeling. If the last exercise doesn't run, which is possible in a difficult scenario, it doesn't feel right. The build-up has to be good so that there is a good conclusion.

Cooperation

The cooperation with the TSC went well. We were regularly asked during the exercises if everything was satisfactory and/or they could do something for us. We indicated beforehand that one scenario would not suit us in the morning and the planning was adjusted accordingly. That went fine!