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The team is training committees on data collection, management, surveying and other skills that empower local governments to better serve their people. FURAT III empha sizes governmental transparency, coordina tion between authorities and residents and outreach that allows northeastern Syrian locals to participate in the governance process. Mahmoud Abdo, a trainer with Raqqa’s First Responders Team, says the firefighters support building the relationship between the local council and the community by taking several important steps, particularly by demonstrating their competence and readiness to protect the community from extinguishing blazes to creat ing safe swimming areas in the Euphrates River. “Taken together, they contributed to strengthening the connection and common understanding between firefighters and the community,” Abdo says. With social cohesion and community involve ment as high priorities, the initial decision of where the program needed to provide its support was a joint process. Based on the needs of residents, the current capabilities of emer gency services and the unprecedented threat posed to agriculture, including those caused by regional conflict, communities decided to focus their attention on first responders. “In regions frequently facing conflicts, airstrikes or natural disasters, bolstering firefighting capabilities is paramount for public safety,” Hamish explains. Much of the critical support included specialized equipment and skills training for firefighters–particularly as regional conflict continues to touch the liberated areas. Specialized training and modern equipment As the regional conflict drained resources from communities, local firefighters lacked vital sup plies, such as foam used for fighting oil-based wildfires, and essential training to battle fires. Professional instruction in a wide variety of skills–such as the management of hazardous waste and standard protocols necessary for maintaining operational safety when battling a wildfire–are now available to first responders. The program is working with the International Safety Training College to ensure that these first responders are proficient and prepared with the latest firefighting techniques and methods. The Malta-based school provides agencies with training in various areas of firefighting, emergency response and hazmat management. These skills-based training

programs allow for ongoing instruction of local firefighting units even after FURAT III has left the region. That specialized training was put to the test in the Al Jazeera region’s city of Qamishli on Oct. 5, 2023, when fighter jets and drones attacked strategic infrastructure that supports the city. One of the drones targeted the city’s power station. “The fire was huge and scary; I was close when the station was bombed,” recalls a resident who witnessed the explosion. Firefighters quickly responded. “We heard the sound of violent explosions that shook the city of Qamishli, and we learned that the main power station had been bombed,” says a member of the Qamishli Fire Brigade. “We quickly went to the station with several firetrucks. When we approached the station, we found thick smoke emanating from the station. The bombing targeted the fuel tanks, and the fire was large.” Using their newly acquired training, firefight ers were able to extinguish the blaze at the Amuda power station within 20 minutes.

In regions frequently facing conflicts, airstrikes or natural disasters, bolstering firefighting capabilities is paramount for public safety.” - Mohamad Hamish, FURAT III’s team lead “ A Raqqa brigade member tunes up a firetruck in between operations.

The resident who witnessed the fire was im pressed. “The firefighters looked experienced and familiar with what they were doing. And, indeed, they were able to extinguish the fire in a short time,” the resident says. Leveraging new technology and ensuring collaboration through municipal govern ment, local officials developed a fire incident dashboard that offers detailed insights into the causes, response times, dates and types of fire incidents. With the help of the dashboard, patterns and root causes of fires can be identified, providing crucial insights for the development of targeted preventive measures. n

Raqqa firefighters battle a blaze in a store.

Photos provided by FURAT III

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