340
operationismanifold.Thispaperconcentratesonthe
field of operation of RFRSs. Furthermore, as the oil
spill response involves various elements of both
onshore and at‐sea countermeasures, this paper
focuses on the at‐sea phase of an oil spill response
operationand the maritimeskills related. This focus
was set on the basis of the competence survey
conducted prior to the development of the training
programme. The results of the survey indicated an
apparentneedforadditionalmaritimetraining.
1.2 Structureofthepaper
The paper presents the current situation of oil spill
responseeducationandthecontext
inwhichthenew
marine oil spill response simulator training is
developed. Research directing the development is
described and the main findings highlighted. The
designed training structure is presented and the
learning methods are discussed in order to assess
their applicability to meet arisen training needs. In
conclusion, the training development
processes is
summarised and future application of the enhanced
simulatorenvironmentisintroduced.
2 SIGNIFICANCEOFOILSPILLRESPONSE
TRAINING
Even though the risk of oil spills is minimised by
improved maritime safety and jointly adopted
international or regional risk preventing measures,
the capability to deal with the consequences of
a
marine oil spill is needed (Lampela & Jolma 2011).
Theuniquenessofthe BalticSea,theshallowwaters
withslowexchangeofwatermakesithighlysensitive
tooilpollution.Alsocoldwintersandlongperiodsof
ice cover slow the physical, chemical and biological
decomposition of harmful substances. (SYKE
2017;
HELCOM 2010; HELCOM 2016.) The sea‐area is
characterized by shallow waters, rocky shores and
narrow fairways as well as a partial ice‐coverage
during the wintertime. Finnish fairways are mainly
constructedaccordingtothePIANC parametersand
guidelines.Insomenavigationalareastheparameters
regarding the fairway geometry
can not be fully
compliedwithduetothescatteredrockyformations,
islands or the features of the sea bed (Larjo et al.
2010). These demanding navigational characteristics
of Finnish waters combined with the increasing oil
transportation pose a severe risk to the marine
environment.The rapid response actions are needed
alsobecauseofthevastsosio‐economicimpactsanoil
spillmightcause.(SYKE2017;HELCOM2016.)
The Finnish Environment Institute (Suomen
ympäristökeskus, later SYKE) estimates that about
2,000accidentaloilspillsoccureachyearinFinland,
although in most of these incidents only small
amounts of oil are released
into the environment.
There has been no large‐scale oil spill since 1980’s
(SYKE 2017). Therefore it is crucial to maintain spill
response ability with continuous training as real‐life
experience is not gained and routine can not been
established. Although the probability of an oil
incident is not very high
in the light of realised
incidents,theconsequencesofanoilspillemphasises
thenecessity of immediate preparednessattainedby
comprehensiveoilspilltraining
3 MARITIMECOMPETENCIESINRESCUE
SERVICES
Regional Fire and Rescue Services (RFRS) are
responsible for the prevention of and response to
marine oil spills within the
coastal region. Despite
their statutory role in the marine spill response,
maritime studies are not included in the vocational
educationoffireandrescuepersonnel.Manoeuvring
of vessels, navigation as well as maritime
communicationpracticesaretodayeducatedasanin‐
service training by the RFRSs themselves. Assigned
officers have Certificates
for Small Craft Operator
issued by the Finnish Maritime Administration.
However,maintainingthemaritimeskillshas proven
tobeachallengeduetotherestrictedpossibilitiesfor
onboard training. According to the competence
survey, the maritime skills varied among the RFRSs
and an apparent need for more comprehensive
maritimeeducation
wasrecognised.
4 SURVEYSONRESPONSETRAININGNEEDS
To ensure the feasibility of the education proposed,
responsetrainingneedswerestudiedindetailbythe
means of online semi‐structured survey with open
questionstogetherwithfixedselectionmatrix.Survey
consistedoftwoparts.Firstonestudiedtheresponse
trainingneeds
ina strategical level(later referredas
an Education survey), and the other part the actual
competenciesinanoperationallevel(laterreferredas
aCompetencesurvey).
Education survey was targeted at the rescue
officers designated as oil spill response trainers in
RFRS or other organisations assigned to oil spill
response. This survey was aimed to provide
background information on the current state of and
the future requirements for the oil spill education,
prospects for education arrangements, scale and
scopeoftheeducationandotherrestrictionsaffecting
thefurtherimplementation.
Competencesurveywasdirectedtotheemployee
levelofRFRSand
otherassociatedorganisations.The
aim was to define the key areas of expertise in the
field of oil spill response, and to examine if any
competency deficiencies exist. In addition subjective
viewsonthelevelofimportanceofspecifiedresponse
competencieswerestudied.
Both parts of the survey were conducted
nationwide. Respondents represented 39
organisationsintotal,andincludedthemainresponse
authorities,responseagenciesandvoluntaryresponse
organisations in Finland. Main target group, RFRSs,
composed51,4%ofthesurveyparticipants.Majority
(81,8 %) of the Finnish rescue services was
represented as 18 of 22 Regional Rescue and Fire
Services
attended the survey. Other respondents
included i.a. Finnish Environment Institute SYKE,
Finnish Border Guard, the Finnish Defence Forces,
Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Finnish