9 March 2012 – To enhance protection of air operations in the country, UNMISS is currently conducting introductory aviation fire and rescue training for newly recruited South Sudanese.

"We are training 18 people, eight from Juba and 10 from Bor," said Mark Cox, UNMISS aviation fire marshal and course trainer.

He added that trainees were demobilized ex-combatants, newly recruited into the South Sudan Fire Brigade and posted at Juba International and Bor airports.

Juba as the capital had the busiest airport and Jonglei State Fire Brigade has expressed interest in expanding the expertise of its fire fighting team in Bor, Mr. Cox said.

"We are taking them from being newly recruited to a standard whereby they can provide basic fire and rescue coverage at airfields," he said.

Scheduled to conclude on 16 March, the training is carried out by UNMISS Aviation in conjunction with UNMISS Security sections.

Outlining the importance of aviation fire and rescue training, Mr. Cox said the fundamentals of any type of fire fighting were similar, but "given the potential enhanced life risk on an aircraft some of the approaches and techniques used are different".

Often, many people were closely packed on an aircraft into a small space containing highly flammable fuel, he said. "Fire and rescue teams need to be taught how to rapidly and safely approach to create a safe environment for survivors to be evacuated through."

The course, which takes six weeks and includes both theoretical and practical exercises, is the first of its kind to be conducted since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.

Mr. Cox said the last few weeks of the training had "focused on actual fire and rescue work".

Course participant Ngoun Mbier said the team had learned how to handle fire emergencies at the airport and in the case of a plane crash. "We have knowledge of how to deal with such a type of fire."

"The importance of this training (is that) it is about safety and rescue of people," Mr. Mbier said. "We have learnt basic principles of fighting fire."