The investments made in the previous year by the Marine Rescue Training Centre of the Maritime Academy of Szczecin have borne fruit. The renovation of roofs with gutters, exchange of floors, chairs and desks have not only had influence on better perception of the Centre by course participants whose trainings are now held in more comfortable conditions. Along with adding specialist medical gear and equipment for working at heights to the Centre’s teaching facilities, the investments enabled establishing cooperation in new fields with new entities.
On 22.12.2015 Adrian Druchniak, Director of the Maritime Rescue Training Centre of the Maritime University of Szczecinie held a meeting with representatives of Total Wind PL Sp. z o. o. and presented the development plans regarding GWO training. As a result of positive opinion on the Centre and its vision of further changes, as early as on 06.01.2016, the Centre began trainings for employees of the above mentioned company with a medical course.
Recent legislative changes abolishing the obligation for seamen to renew e.g. the basic first aid course (IMO 1.13) resulted in the risk of losing at least half of highly qualified training staff. Having no possibility to carry on training, the trainers cooperating with the Centre would have to find other fields of professional activity. With a view to keeping the staff in the Centre, the director made further investments in medical equipment. This enabled attempts at launching trainings on Qualified First Aid.
On 07.07.2015, the Maritime University of Szczecin filed an application with the West Pomerania Province Office in Szczecin for approval of a training programme within the scope of Qualified First Aid. On 04.08.2015, pursuant to the Act of 08.09.2006 on the State Rescue Service and on behalf of the West Pomerania Province Governor, the above mentioned programme was approved by Piotr Gabinowski, Director of the Department of Security and Crisis Management. An opportunity appeared for the Centre to conduct new trainings and, thus, to continue the employment of medical staff who is so crucial especially during “candidate trainings”, i.e. the annual courses for future students of the Maritime University of Szczecin.
The Centre used new possibilities of trainings to tighten its cooperation with the Pomerania Rescue Association, for whom a Qualified First Aid course began on 03.10.2015. Also, in the field of Qualified First Aid trainings, the Centre director was successful in entering into cooperation with the Chief of the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Service of the Szczecin-Goleniów Airport. As a consequence, the Marine Rescue Training Centre conducted trainings for the airport staff.
Each of these courses finished with an examination (on 20.01.2016 in Goleniów and 30.01.2016 in the Centre) conducted by an examination board composed of two representatives of the entity conducting the course and “an outsider”, i.e. a person appointed by the Provincial Consultant in the field of Rescue Medicine. All course participants passed their examinations and are proud to have been awarded the title of a rescuer.
On 17.02.2016, Director Adrian Druchniak handed in the certificates confirming the title of a rescuer to Chief Andrzej Palczakowski and met with Mr Maciej Dziadosz, the President of the Management Board, the Director of the Szczecin-Goleniów Airport (as it turned out a graduate of the Higher Maritime School in Szczecin). During the meeting, an intent to continue cooperation was expressed - this time in the area of gaining experience by students of the Maritime University of Szczecin during airport-based work placements. The Airport Director was very positive about such cooperation, which was confirmed on 25.02.2016 with information that there were no formal barriers to signing a letter of intent and an agreement on cooperation within the scope of student placements.
The year 2015 also meant improvement and extension of cooperation with the Polish Steamship Company and Kongsberg Maritime Poland Sp. z o.o., for which the Centre began to conduct OHS trainings. One of the elements of these trainings is the risk connected with working at heights. The purchase of a adequate amount of equipment enabled the Centre to conduct effective trainings, which have been highly assessed by course participants.
The equipment is also used for marine survival trainings as a part of GWO courses.