On the 30th May the EUFOR Chief Of Staff, Brigadier General Jozsef Szpisjak, took part in a Fire Department training session on Camp Butmir, donning firefighting protective clothing and Breathing Apparatus before experiencing realistic situations.
Accompanied by the Fire Chief Paul Hulme and Watch Commander Amer Jetulahovic, the Chief Of Staff entered the fire and back-draught training facility. The temperature within the training facility reaches around 550 Degrees Celsius on entry. Carrying out gas cooling and direct firefighting techniques Brigadier General Jozsef Szpisjak successfully fought the fire and experienced the intense heat and effort required to fight a fire in burning building.
EUFOR remains focused on capacity building and training of the Armed Forces of BiH. Opportunities for the command to experience this type of training is an essential way to check training delivered.
It was immediately evident once the exercise was completed and face masks were removed that Brigadier General Jozsef Szpisjak had enjoyed the experience immensely and remarked afterwards how effective the protective clothing and breathing apparatus were and that this allowed him to feel completely confident whilst firefighting.
