Nowadays the harmonious, multilevel system of the rescuers professional training is created in the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus. It allows providing rescue services with highly-skilled personnel.
The component of this system is the additional education through the personnel retraining and professional development. Realization of this problem in the field of the population protection from emergencies is assigned to the State Educational Establishment “The Institute for Retraining and Professional Development” of the Ministry for Emergency situations of the Republic of Belarus.
The history of Institute begins from August, 1996, when the National firefighters’ training center on the basis of military unit was founded. In 2000 the Center was reorganized into the Educational Establishment “The Institute for Retraining and Professional Development” of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus. The status of basic training organization of CIS countries in the field of emergency response was given to the Institute in accordance with the decisions of the council of the Commonwealth of Independent States from May, 25th, 2007 and the XX Intergovernmental Council of natural and technogenic character accidents from September, 28th, 2006.
Since December 2003 the foreign rescuers training is provided. Workshops, scientifically-practical conferences with participation of representatives of foreign ministries and departments in the sphere of emergencies prevention and elimination, are held. Such international organizations as IAEA and the European commission (within TACIS projects) pay special attention to the Institute. Under the aegis of these organizations the training on radiating and chemical safety was organized.
The educational process support and organization at the Institute are provided by: faculty of retraining and faculty of professional development, Education Process Supplying Service, Training Fire & Rescue Station and other divisions.
High level of training is provided by teaching staff of four departments: «Organization of Activity of Emergency Services and General Scientific Disciplines», «Emergency Prevention», «Fire & Rescue Technical Equipment», «Emergency Elimination». More than 30 % of teaching staff have scientific degrees of candidates and doctors of sciences, and about 25 % take a postgraduate course.
The faculty’s activity is focused on the organization of education process in such directions as: retraining on the higher technical education basis on the specialty “Prevention and Elimination of Emergencies”, professional development of officials and specialists of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, other ministries and departments of the Republic of Belarus and foreign states. One of components of the faculty’s activity is scientific and practical work aimed to developing and implementing innovative educational technologies.
The rescuer’s tasks can be conducted at the high professional level only if the rescuer had passed training in the conditions close to real. Therefore practical skills are worked out on 43 training facilities of the Institute’s Training Ground. The Institute’s Training Ground is laboratorial base on the open air, which allows to model wide range of accidents of natural and technogenic character.
Multifunctional training complex on conducting rescue operations in collapsed building is intended for conducting search, deblocking operations and the victims’ evacuation with cynological service and the use of modern equipment.
The psychological complex for practical training in condition of hazardous fire factors is intended for conducting rescue operations in unventilated, limited visibility and elevated temperature conditions. Barriers and sound effects recreate conditions close to real conditions at emergencies as much as possible.
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Modern complex of Institute’s training and laboratorial facilities allows to realize educational activity. It includes:
• training and laboratory complex with specialized lecture-classes and laboratories, equipped with modern devices used for fire and industrial safety;
• training complex for Fire, Rescue and Engineering Transport learning allows to work out practical skills of the constant combat readiness support of transport, used by the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus;
• training complex for breather apparatus training allows to provide practical training for specialists of breathing apparatus service of emergency bodies and divisions.
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Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus pays much attention to physical culture and sports. Therefore the stadium with 4-storied training tower and covered sporting arena with 7-storied training tower were built on the Institute’s territory.
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Institute’s sports base is the training centre of the Ministry for Emergency Situations’ national team on Fire and Rescue sport, on all-round rescuers sport, and also the place of international competitions.
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Well-arranged Hostel on the Institute’s territory and a Dining Hall for the comfortable stay of visitors, sportsmen and students were built. We have also rooms for billiard, table tennis and a fitness hall.
The Institute’s teaching staff, training and material facilities allow to raise the level of the rescuers’ professional readiness to a high level.
