Basic training for the Incident Command System held by the USFS Instructors, USA, was completed at AKSP

Vushtrri, September 5, 2024 - The first week of September welcomed a team of experts from the United States Forest Service at the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety in Vushtrri for a four-day course on the Incident Command System (ICS). Participants from Kosovo Emergency Management Agency, respectfully the Professional Firefighting and Rescue Units, as well as the Medical Emergency Centre of the Main Family Medicine Centre in Mitrovica took part at the training, providing opportunities for cross-cultural exchange on topics related to emergency management.

Regardless of their cause, emergency situations such as wildfires, floods or other, are an ongoing social threat in Kosovo and the region. Recent wildfires across the Balkan Peninsula indicate the need to proactively take steps to build capacity and expertise in response coordination.

Acting General Director of KAPS, Kastriot Jashari, as a host, thanked USA very much for this valuable contribution in capacity building of public safety officers in the field of emergency management. He pointed out that, through this training, Academy is fulfilling its mission through implementation of special and very valuable trainings through partnership with an extraordinary important institution, such as the US Forest Service. Jashari said that the Academy has done its best to provide the training participants with all the conditions for the smooth running of the training, congratulating them on its successful completion.

While Acting General Director of EMA, Shefki Abdullahu, emphasized that this training that is ending today is very important for the participants, especially for those who come from EMA, for whom he thanked the US Forest Service and the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety for the exceptional work. Abdullahu further added that the commitment of EMA and NALT as well as other international and local institutions is achieved through the implementation of SKI mechanisms up to the government response, thus developing procedures based on national legislation and the National Response Plan. In the end, he congratulated the participants for the successful completion of this training, wishing them all the best.

In her remarks, USFS Program Manager Shannon McNamara reiterated the importance of preseason training and interagency cooperation for all potential emergencies. She noted that, “In the United States, Incident Command System training and qualifications are standardized. This ensures the safety of our firefighters and builds capacity for coordinated and effective response to all emergency situations.” She added, “The U.S. Forest Service International Programs Office is very glad to have started the training program and partnerships with Kosovo institutions.”

Through experience responding to wildland fires in the United States, the U.S. Forest Service has developed command coordination tools (including the Incident Command System (ICS)) that have become national standards and are widely used internationally. USFS works around the world to share knowledge and support other countries to prepare for and respond to disasters of all kinds, including wildland fires. This training reviews ICS basics, provides the context for ICS within initial response, and supports higher level ICS training in the future.

The U.S. Department of State is supporting USFS programs and capacity development on emergency management in Kosovo. USFS values continuous learning and is excited to partner with the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety at a pivotal moment to provide training to build capacity and promote standard operating procedures within its institutions. This is first of the series of training as part of the ICS Train the Trainer program in Kosovo.