The workshop held at the Hotel Costa Calero on 8th April was organised for those residents who have volunteered to assist the British Consulate in Las Palmas in the event of a major crisis situation affecting Lanzarote.
The morning provided insight to the work of the Consulate and CECOES 112 (Centro de Coordinación de Emergencias y Seguridad) in any crisis situation and explained how those who participated can help the Consulate provide immediate assistance to Brits in a crisis situation on Lanzarote.
British Vice Consul for the Province of Las Palmas, Esther Martín, explained the role of the Consulate and how their volunteer network forms a vital link in the chain of their crisis response plan for Lanzarote, and indeed all the Canary Islands.
Esther said,” The event aimed to highlight the importance of crisis preparedness to the newly appointed volunteers in Lanzarote. Volunteers are a precious resource for us and it was encouraging to see their active participation throughout the presentations delivered by the 112 trainer and myself. It was a unique opportunity to show our level of commitment to this important area of consular work, and the impressive resources and projects which the 112 centres manage in the Canary Islands. My congratulations and thanks to our Honorary Consul in Lanzarote, Susan Thain, for supporting us in the organisation of this hugely productive event.”
Angeles Rodriguez Herrero, trainer with CECOES 112, chatted to the group in English about the work of 112, and particularly concentrated on their role in crisis situations affecting the islands. Ms Rodriguez explained the various tools at their disposal and how their team of experts liaise with Consulates regularly to ensure public safety, and that appropriate emergency assistance reaches those that need it most. A great example of this excellent co operation was demonstrated in video footage of a real life case study, involving an explosion in a hotel in the south of Gran Canaria last year.
Ms Rodriguez also asked those present to help spread the word to the British community about the services of CECOES, including the recently launched emergency alert system for the hearing impaired, SOMU, which is available to residents and tourists alike.
Fr Tom Barnfarther said “ It was impressive to learn that the Canarian emergency services are ahead of the rest in their field and the British Consulate has such good communication channels with the British community and tourism sector. A very positive experience, and both residents and tourists alike can be rest assured that preparation for emergency situations is taken very seriously by both the local authorities and the Consulate.”
The Canary Islands receive around 1.9 million British tourists annually and are home to around 41,000 residents (though the figure including all those that have not registered on the Padrón is more likely to be around 80,000). 112 Canarias receives emergency calls in German, French & Italian, however most foreign language calls are in English and in 2012 they received 6000 English language calls reporting incidents that for the most part, affected British nationals.