On the road with the Fire Brigade

CERN firemen, a brilliant success in emergency and rescue training course.

If you catch sight of a strange collection of battered old cars near the CERN Fire Station, don't be alarmed, there's nothing amiss! The cars have been used by the CERN fire-fighters for their professional certificates in road accident emergency and rescue training (CFAPSR - Certificat de Formation aux Activités de Premier Secours Routier).
The course, held at CERN from 21 to 26 June 2004, was run by the Ain Fire and Rescue Service as part of a training exchange programme organised by the Geneva Fire Department (SIS) and the fire services of Geneva Airport (SSA), Neuchâtel and the Ain Département.
The main aim is to train firemen in the latest state-of-the-art techniques used in rescuing injured people trapped in their cars after road accidents. During the week-long course, the firemen got plenty of practise in cutting up cars (kindly provided free of charge by Peney scrap merchants' Déconstruction Autos-motos SA Roger Favre) and in freeing the trapped 'passengers' (firemen in civilian clothes with made-up injuries). They were also able to put their skills to use during a night exercise in Divonne.
When they arrive at CERN on three-year secondments from all over Europe, the fire-fighters have to pass their CFAPSR road-accident emergency and rescue certificate, its related team emergency and rescue certificate (CFAPSE - Certificat de Formation aux Activités de Premiers Secours en Equipe) together with basic first-aid proficiency. These courses ensure that all members of the Fire Brigade, whatever their nationality, can be rapidly integrated into the team by familiarising them with a standard set of emergency procedures. Naturally, all fire-fighters must use the same terminology and carry out the same first-aid procedures when responding to an emergency call, to avoid any possibility of confusion.
This year, seven of the Organization's fire-fighters, from six Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), took the tests for the CFAPSR French national diploma, before an examination board comprising external fire-fighters and CERN medical staff. The pass rate was 100 %.