12 - 18 July 2001

Emergency response team for Mediterranean region to be set up

by Ivan Brincat

The International Safety Training Centre (Malta) Ltd (ISTC) is exp-ected to expand its operations in the Mediterranean region after the company’s shareholders’ gave the go-ahead for further development and investment.
The ISTC plans to broaden its
services over the coming months with the setting up of an Emergency Response Team for the Mediterranean region. This follows the recent set-up for aviation fire-fighting courses which was inaugurated during the Aviation Safety in the Mediterranean Seminar held in Malta last month.
The Emergency Response Team for the Mediterranean region includes having air cargo containers fully equipped with protective clothing, materials and hardware on 24-hour stand-by for immediate dispatch to fire or hazardous material crisis areas anywhere in the Mediterranean or North African regions. The Mediterranean emergency response team will consist of instructors from ISTC in Malta and other personnel are constantly in readiness to provide back-up from the Netherlands.
Though founded in March 2000, ISTC has already earned a sound reputation both with local and foreign companies for the high level of training provided for fire fighting, safety and occupational health to the on-shore, off-shore, aviation and maritime sectors whether petrochemical, industrial, catering or commercial businesses.
The foreign shareholder in ISTC is RISC Fire & Safety Training BV of the Netherlands which was founded in 1986 through the association of Rural Metro – USA, Falck Group 4 – Denmark and the Rotterdam Port Authority – Netherlands. RISC is one of the top internationally recognised training centres specialised in the field of complex petrochemical and industrial fire-fighting. ISTC’s local shareholder is Alberta Fire and Security Equipment Ltd of Sta Venera, one of Malta’s leading providers of fire, safety and security equipment both locally and in North Africa.
Local customers of ISTC include leading companies and organisations such as the National Library, HSBC Bank, Central Bank of Malta, Malta Freeport, Malta International Aviation, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Maltapost, Baxters, Alf. Mizzi & Sons, Corinthia Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Vivaldi Hotel and others.
Prominent foreign customers such as Wintershall – Libya, British Gas – Tunisia and Expro – Tunisia have entrusted the training of their fire- fighting personnel to the experienced and well trained instructors at the training centre. The ISTC is planning to further expand its activities in Egypt and subsequently in Algeria and Morocco.
The managing director of ISTC, David Ghersci told The Malta Business Weekly that though RISC of Holland already have five training centres in Northern Europe (three in the Netherlands, one in Belgium and one in Germany), they preferred to expand their activities to the Mediterranean region since ISTC’s location at Hal Far offers excellent fire-fighting facilities, is geographically and culturally closer to their customers and instructors can provide training in climatic conditions similar to those in which the trainees will have to carry out their duties. Mr Ghersci said that in his opinion, ISTC’s activities fit perfectly into Malta’s economic development when taking into consideration that as a service provider the company does not rely on importation of raw materials so most of its sales contain a high local added value. Besides, the company’s foreign trainees represent all-year-round “tourism” generating business for the local airline, hotels and so on.