The Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosting a four-day training in which firefighters from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina will learn how to strategically respond to forest fires through integration and international cooperation, all in order to reduce the impact that large forest fires have on local communities.
One of the educators, Michael Matfield, from the United States Forest Service (USFS), an agency of the US Department of Agriculture, said that during the training, he will share experiences and tactical decision-making exercises.
“We are currently working on four scenarios related to firefighting. We work with colleagues who come from various parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We consider how to approach the various dangers they face. Firefighters from Bosnia and Herzegovina are great professionals, our colleagues from whom we also have the opportunity to learn, in addition to sharing our experiences, how we deal with situations like this,” said Matfield.
The commander of the Professional Fire Brigade of the Sarajevo Canton Dževad Gibanica said that this unit is participating in the training with 14 members.
During the training, five experts from the US Forest Service will share knowledge in the field of wildfire suppression and wildfire management.
They will also talk about fire containment, tactics on the ground, coordination of air and ground support, and organizing an integrated command structure.
