From November 4 to 8 of this year, the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas of France organized five-day training for the staff of the Rescue Service of the MIA of RA. The training focused on "Challenges of Crisis Management, Planning and Response in large-scale flood situations”.

The training was led by the Director of Training at the Fire and Rescue School of Paris Christophe Constant, who shared his extensive experience and wealth of knowledge with the participants.

The training was attended by 22 participants, including rescuers from the Population Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction, the Civil Defense and the Rescue Forces Departments, as well as Crisis Management National Center and Yerevan Rescue Department of the Rescue Service of MIA of RA. The lecturers from the Crisis Management State Academy of MIA also took part.

The training aimed to exchange best practices from France and enhance the effectiveness of professional activities. 

It was conducted interactively, discussions and analyses incorporating questions and answers sessions.

Christophe Constant presented the methods for organizing rescue operations in France, approaches to disaster and emergency response and the main stages of search and rescue operations. He also detailed the actions of the fire units of Paris during catastrophic floods, covering the command operational chain, crisis management and coordination center activities and the processes for organizing and informing public protection. Additionally, he emphasized coordination efforts among various services.

According to speaker, training sessions focused on such experience-sharing provide participants with an opportunity to deepen their foundational knowledge and further develop their skills and capabilities.

During the training, participants also had the opportunity to discuss disasters threatening the provinces of Armenia. Special attention was given to the actions taken during the floods that occurred in the Lori and Tavush provinces in May, 2024. The community protection plans were discussed alongside the strengths and weaknesses of the response efforts, comparisons were made with both major disasters and floods that occurred in France.

At the end of the training, a summary and certificate award ceremony was held, during which participants expressed their gratitude to the program leader for organizing and conducting this event aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills.