Seychelles firefighters and officers from other maritime related agencies are beefing up their knowledge of shipboard fire fighting through a four-day training course.

The training, being held at the Seychelles Coastguard (SCG) base on Ile Perseverance, has brought together personnel from the SCG, the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA) and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority’s (SCAA) fire department.

The training, being run by the US National Guard from the State of Kentucky, USA, follows discussions between officials from the US Department of Defence, the SCG, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SFRSA, the SPA and the SCAA fire service.

Commenting on the training, the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, Joel Morgan, said: “The training is both a welcome opportunity and one that demonstrates the close working relationships that the US Department of Defence has with us.  The specific training is beneficial not only for the subject at hand, that is shipboard fire fighting, but as importantly allows the men and women from the SCG, the SPA, the SFRSA, the SCAA fire department to train together, an approach which is very important where valued resources are concerned.” 

The training session entails both theoretical and practical components with the aim of preparing and training these agencies in dealing with ship fire incidents.