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Greek Firefighters Train at Union Fire District in Rhode Island

Published Date: 11.21.2011

NVFC helped organize event

A delegation of 16 firefighters from the Union of Hellenic Fire Service Volunteers in Greece participated in a week of training at the Union Fire District (UFD) in Rhode Island beginning on October 29. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) worked with the UFD to facilitate the special training event.

The NVFC and UFD are committed to fostering relationships and encouraging idea-exchanges with the international fire service community. Makis Tsioguris, President of the Union of Hellenic Fire Service Volunteers, first visited UFD in 2010 thanks to the efforts of NVFC board members Mike Bird (MA) and Kevin Quinn (RI), Executive Director Heather Schafer, and UFD Chief Robert Perry. That successful meeting led to an ongoing dialogue between the fire services of the two countries and the planning of the recent training event.

“We are thrilled to work with the fire service of Greece to share ideas, discuss issues of mutual interest, and train together,” said Philip C. Stittleburg, Chairman of the NVFC. “By working with the international fire service community, we raise the status of the volunteer on both the national and global level. There are so many things we can learn from each other, and this was a great opportunity to expand and enhance the international dialogue.”

The week-long event included live burn exercises and training in structure fire techniques and rescue. Additional topics included vehicle extrication, fire suppression, ventilation, ladders, confined space, and CPR training.

“In Greece at the moment, we don’t have an official training center that can provide us with this level of training, so it’s a great experience for us,” said Greek volunteer firefighter Kimon Pantelidis. “We get basic training, but we never get anything like this.”

Click here to see a video from the training week at UFD.

The Union of Hellenic Fire Service Volunteers represents 2,000 volunteer firefighters in Greece. The 16 volunteers that attended the training at UFD paid for their flights to the U.S. The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, the largest and oldest association of Greek Americans and Philhellenes in the U.S., helped provide transportation and meals for the visiting firefighters.

The training week and train-the-trainer component has already had a positive impact on the coordination, response efforts, and incident command capabilities of the participants’ home fire departments. Pantelides noted that at one of his first fire scenes after returning to Athens, he could already notice a difference. “My whole perception and coordination of this incident was greatly influenced by what we learned with you guys,” Pantelides recounted in a letter to UFD. “I felt safer and more sure of my steps when coordinating my crew.”

Pantilides went on to note that even deeper lessons were shared during the training. “We learned about taking pride in our purpose, we learned about brotherhood, we learned about bonding, we learned about ethics and morals, we learned about safety.”

Notes Quinn, “There is no better reward as a fire instructor than to see the replication of safety practices and fireground tactics being implemented by our students. The fact that the Greek volunteer firefighters are already bringing back training proves that our Train-The-Trainer boot camp was superior and instrumental to bringing about positive changes across the Atlantic!"

A second contingent from the Union of Hellenic Fire Service Volunteers will visit UFD sometime in 2012.

The Union of Hellenic Fire Service Volunteers presented Stittleburg, Bird, Quinn, and Schafer with personalized medals to thank them for their involvement with the training event and ongoing efforts to continue the international dialogue. The NVFC and UFD also received a citation from the Rhode Island State Senate offering congratulations on the international week of training.

In addition to fostering a relationship with the Greek fire service, the NVFC has also met with fire service leaders from Japan, England, Finland, Italy, Canada, Australia, South America, and Central America over the past few years.

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