Zodiac Milpro Completes Training Of Abu Dhabi Airport Rescue Boat Crews

April 30, 2012 - PRLog -- The new boats are kept on 24-hour standby and will enable the airport operator to undertake marine rescue if an aircraft should come down onto water. They are strategically located on the Sir Bani Yas and Delma islands which enable them to cover a wide area of the waters around Abu Dhabi. Each island has a small airport so the boats are operated by the fire crews who make up the airports’ safety contingent.
   A one week training programme for the boats’ crews was an important element of the contract as it enabled Zodiac Milpro’s training manager, Bruno Marion, to successfully transform two groups of fire fighters with no knowledge of boats and boating into competent pilots and crews. “By the end of the week long course the 12 trainees had learned how to handle the high performance RIBs, to launch and recover them from their storage trailers and to undertake basic maintenance. They were also taught how to perform search operations and to undertake a simple rescue,” said Marion. “Each trainee was required to take a written and a practical test at the end of the course which, I am pleased to say, they all completed successfully.”
   The RIB is acknowledged as being the most suitable type of boat for airport rescue work due to its inherent qualities. They are able to reach an incident more quickly than any other type of craft and are also able to operate in shallow water and in extreme sea conditions that would be impossible for other boats. The Sea Rib® Responders® 750 RIBs supplied to Abu Dhabi airport are leading examples of this genre as they can carry 16 people at speeds of over 20 knots while providing their operators with the qualities of durability and easy maintenance. The Zodiac Milpro® boats supplied to Abu Dhabi airport were also each equipped with two inflatable 8 person life rafts. Mounted in specially designed racks, these can be launched to provide additional rescue capacity and towed to safety by the RIB.
   An important part of the boats’ airport work can also involve the coordination of rescue activities. Because they will be the first on the scene and possess the speed and manoeuvrability to assess the incident, Zodiac Milpro® RIBs can be equipped to direct and coordinate the deployment of other rescue services.
   Through this delivery, Zodiac Milpro Sector follows the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommendations in airport safety and rescue operations. Zodiac Milpro has already equipped Buenos Aires airport with boats where, as with Abu Dhabi, the company’s ability to provide crew training was an important feature.
   Zodiac Milpro has become the first boat manufacturer to make a commitment to training and has introduced a comprehensive syllabus of courses for 2012. This has been developed so that anyone, regardless of whether they are Zodiac Milpro® customers or not, can learn how to operate RIBs and other types of inflatable craft efficiently, safely and economically. The courses on offer can be specific to airport operations or include commissioning a new boat and its optimisation, helmsmanship to advanced standards, repair and maintenance and a range of special techniques relevant to military or emergency service users. These can include air drop or helicopter launch, underwater cache deployment, search and rescue and ship assault. The syllabus also includes training for jet-ski operations as part of a search and rescue capability.
   The Zodiac Milpro® courses have been devised so that users can maximize their boats’ capabilities; extend their service lives and operational readiness while also addressing each trainee’s specific requirements. The support provided for Buenos Aires airport involved training for police personnel who had been sub-contracted to provide airport rescue services. Depending upon the topic, the courses may be held at a Zodiac Milpro factory or at a client’s premises where experienced Zodiac instructors can provide practical guidance and personal tuition.
   Zodiac Milpro is headquartered in Paris and supplies inflatable and semi-rigid craft for professional users such as police, coast guard, special forces, anti-terrorism units, fire teams, the offshore industry and other military users. The boats manufactured by Zodiac Milpro range from 4 to 12-metres long and are available in configurations that include inflatable and rigid inflatable boats with aluminium or fibreglass hull designs, inflatable or foam tubes, diesel inboard or petrol outboard engines. Full details of the training programme can be found on the Zodiac Milpro website at www.zodiacmilpro.com .

-ENDS-

Commercial enquiries contact:
David Cazalot
Zodiac Milpro International
1 Quai de Grenelle, 75015 Paris, France
Tel + 33 1 76 76 71 90
Email : info.milpro@zmp-zodiac.com
Web site  www.zodiacmilpro.com