Thursday 5 May 2022 at 16.00 (EEST/UTC+3)
Volunteers in oil spill response – Experiences from the Baltic Sea Region
Coastal oil spill response is often an arduous, long-term operation that requires an agile and plentiful workforce. Here, volunteers can offer authorities valuable support in achieving optimal results and minimizing environmental harm. However, engaging volunteers, training them and organizing their work efficiently and safely requires consideration and investments.
In this webinar, you will hear more about the collaboration and training of volunteers and how it has developed in Finland. The OIL SPILL Project promoted voluntary oil spill response capability across the Baltic Sea Region. Consequently, the Lithuanian Red Cross decided to add oil spill response to its emergency preparedness plan and activity. It will be interesting to learn about the initial phases of getting involved in oil spill response as an NGO.
Program:
- 16.00 Welcome – Minna-Liina Ojala, POPCORN, University of Turku
- 16.05 Authority view on voluntary OSR – Juha Virto, Chief of Rescue Services, Southwest Finland Emergency Services
- 16.25 WWF Finland: OSR training, preparedness and response – Teemu Niinimäki, Conservation Officer, WWF Finland
- 16.45 On managing and organizing volunteers in Finland – Mika Vilpo, Head of Preparedness, Finnish Red Cross Turku branch
- 17.05 Experiences from a newcomer in OSR – Emilija Unė Sakalauskaitė, National Disaster Coordinator, Lithuanian Red Cross
- 17.25 Final discussion