TEEX signs agreement with Belgium Directorate-General for Civil Protection

TEEX has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belgium Civil Protection unit, which is part of the Belgium Ministry of Home Affairs. The agreement will allow the two organizations to exchange experience, information, training and technology, said Dave Dickson, International Project Coordinator for TEEX Disaster Preparedness and Response.

Mr. J?r?me Glorie, Director-General of the Belgium Civil Protection Directorate, was accompanied by Mrs. Anne Baetens, head of International Relations for the Civil Protection Directorate. TEEX participants at the signing ceremony included CEO Gary Sera, Deputy Director Sue Shahan, Disaster Preparedness and Response Director Bob McKee, Dickson and Brian Freeman, Training Director for Disaster Preparedness and Response.

“As a member state of the European Union, Belgium plays a very active role in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism,” said Dickson, who recently participated in an EU Civil Protection Mechanism workshop on Host Nation Support.

“Belgium has just finished its term of the Presidency of the European Union, during which time Mr. Glorie started a number of exciting projects, including the development of a virtual ‘Disaster City’ across the Civil Protection Mechanism. It is also hoped that we can collaborate on training and development opportunities for staff with the creation of converging professional development programs and also establish a ‘Joint Centre’ to bring all these projects together.”

“We look forward to collaborating with the Directorate-General for Civil Protection on several initiatives and are already in the final stages of an agreement that will allow TEEX to deliver training to a group from Belgium in Disaster City? later this year,” McKee said.