By Rita Frankenberry
The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach firefighters had company last week, welcoming a team of 10 Belgians who joined them in responding to calls and learning about issues such as emergency management preparation.
During their week-long stay, the visiting firefighters went out to house fires, commercial fires and helped with accidents involving entrapments.
They also participated in a shipboard firefighting exercise at the Norfolk Naval Base. There, the firefighters learned techniques to battle a blaze in the confined space of a vessel.
They also gained insight into incident command protocol.
It was while responding to calls on the ladder truck that Marc Van Linden, deputy chief with the Belgian firefighters, learned about the computers on Virginia Beach fire trucks. This real-time form of communication, Van Linden said, is better than the radio communication used in Belgian fire departments.
“It gives them up-to-date information,” Van Linden said. “Once we’re en route, we hardly have contact with dispatch. So there’s plenty of room for improvement.”
Van Linden said another big difference he noticed in the operation of the two fire departments is emergency management.
He plans on taking back a copy of the city’s Emergency Response Guidebook, which outlines procedures for dealing with hazardous materials. It provides readily available information on how to deal with substances firefighters may not often encounter.
“That’s something we don’t have already,” Van Linden said, adding that he hopes to adapt some of the guidelines to his fire department.
It’s the second time Van Linden has visited Virginia Beach.
In 2000, he made his first trip here. Since then, he has visited other fire departments in Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix and California.
Virginia Beach Battalion Chief Tim Riley said the Belgian firefighters used vacation time to make the trip, and funded the visit themselves.
“They felt what they learned here was beneficial,” Riley said. “I think they realize now the Fire Department is much more than just putting water on a fire.”
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