SMACS will use the combined expertise of the partners in maritime training and search-and-rescue to develop an emergency response and survival training programme and manual focused on the needs of small-craft mariners on commercial, fishing and leisure vessels operating in the Harsh Arctic Maritime Regions.. The programme will develop training pack... More...

SMACS will use the combined expertise of the partners in maritime training and search-and-rescue to develop an emergency response and survival training programme and manual focused on the needs of small-craft mariners on commercial, fishing and leisure vessels operating in the Harsh Arctic Maritime Regions.. The programme will develop training packages and e-learning tools using both virtual simulators and practical scenarios, supported by advanced technologies. The training packages will be designed for delivery by local training organisations across the entire NPP region.

Less...

Background In maritime emergencies, fast, efficient responses can make the difference between survival and disaster, especially in the harsh arctic environment. For crew of large vessels, emergency response training is mandatory and training is widely available internationally which includes advanced training using both virtual and practical simul... More...

Background

In maritime emergencies, fast, efficient responses can make the difference between survival and disaster, especially in the harsh arctic environment. For crew of large vessels, emergency response training is mandatory and training is widely available internationally which includes advanced training using both virtual and practical simulators e.g. for lifeboat launching and fire-fighting. However, for smaller commercial, fishing and leisure craft, emergency response and survival training is less structured and generally involves less “hands-on” experiential content, with “on-the-job” training by other crew members being the main source of experiential learning. Such small craft are characteristic of the small coastal communities of the NPP Arctic regions where, in addition to the indigenous maritime communities, changing climate is bringing a growing influx of non-indigenous fishing and tourist/leisure craft during the longer summer season.

 

The rapidly changing Arctic climate brings new challenges in maritime safety for both indigenous and non-indigenous small craft crew. Indigenous maritime safety practices built up over many generations are having to be quickly adapted to climate change. For non-indigenous mariners, the apparently more benign Arctic climate still holds many dangers of which they may have little experience. In turn, Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) services must deal with a greater number and diversity of small craft emergencies over a much wider geographic range. In addition, within the volunteer- SAR services, where as few as one in ten crew now have a maritime background, putting extra pressure is developing on SAR training, especially for harsh conditions.

 

For small craft mariners, more structured training, with greater experiential content, in emergency response and survival techniques in Arctic conditions could make the difference between life and death. Formal certification may also increase the employment prospects of indigenous small craft mariners in the Arctic.

 

However, such training for small craft mariners in Arctic conditions presents a number of major challenges:

(a)  The time and financial budgets of small craft mariners will typically be smaller than for mariners on large commercial vessels;

(b)  It should be possible to deliver the training locally, in one or more locations in each region, within the resource and financial budgets of local training organisations;

(c)  Mariner training methods appropriate for crew of larger vessels in less harsh climates have to be adapted to both the harsh climatic conditions and to the unique physiological stresses imposed on mariners by these conditions.

 

SMACS will address these challenges by combining transnational expertise in both maritime training and SAR with expertise in advanced technologies for enhancement of training of mariners and SAR crews.

Less...

The primary deliverable of SMACS is an integrated maritime training programme for small craft emergency response, survival and SAR in the Arctic regions. The training programme will be enhanced by the use of virtual simulators, practical simulators and electronic technologies for mariner monitoring. The programme will be designed to be suitable for... More...

The primary deliverable of SMACS is an integrated maritime training programme for small craft emergency response, survival and SAR in the Arctic regions. The training programme will be enhanced by the use of virtual simulators, practical simulators and electronic technologies for mariner monitoring. The programme will be designed to be suitable for delivery by training organisations throughout the NPP regions. The project workplan is structured to not only ensure that the primary deliverable is produced but to also ensure that the development and content of the programmes is fully informed by and tailored to the needs of diverse communities of learners and trainers across the NPP regions. In summary, the six workpackages and their contributions to SMACS are:

 

WP1 Project Management and Co-ordination Delivers an effective and efficient project. Ensures that the project follows its workplan and delivers its outputs; manages expenditure and reporting; co-ordinates project communications and partner meetings. Communication with stakeholders, the wider interested public and the media will be the subject of WP6 Dissemination.

 

WP2 Identification of Current Capabilities and Training Needs Engagement with maritime Training Providers and the different communities of Learners to identify the gaps between current training provision and the specific training needs of small-craft mariners in the Arctic regions. This will address both training content and time/cost/resource budgets. Engagement will include a literature review and discussions within the SMACS countries, non-SMACS NPP countries and non-NPP Arctic-region countries. SMACS Associated Partners in Greenland, Arctic Norway and Faroes, along with the existing global international Arctic connections of the partners and memberships of international organisations such as the International Association for Safety and Survival Training IASST, will ensure that SMACS has a broad Arctic engagement. This workpackage will also identify the quality standards that training modules will have to meet. There will be an emphasis on identifying what can be learnt from the existing small craft maritime skills of the indigenous peoples, cataloguing where appropriate traditional survival skills employed by indigenous communities . This WP will inform the work to be undertaken in WP3.

 

WP3 Training Library Based on the training needs identified in WP2, a suite of training modules will be developed representing the main outputs of the project,  which will be incorporated into a Training Library from which modules can be selected and assembled to meet the training needs of different grades and communities of learners. The Library will also include information on technologies for training enhancement (WP4). The Training Library will be designed so that modules can continue to be modified, enhanced and shared after SMACS itself has finished so that the Library becomes a long-term resource for the NPP region.

 

WP4 Training Enhancement with Technology Will research, identify and set out how technologies such as PC-based training, e-learning, maritime vessel simulators, practical simulators (wave and ice tanks, fire fighting rigs, lifeboat launch) and trainee remote monitoring can enhance learning outcomes and reduce training time. This workpackage also examine how advanced technologies can improve chances of surviving an Arctic maritime emergency.

 

WP5 Dissemination and Industry Interface It is important that the work of SMACS is informed by and made available to a wide range of maritime Training Providers, SAR Services and Learners. Dissemination of the ongoing activities and outputs of the project is therefore a key SMACS activity.

Less...

March 2015 The SMACS project objective was summarised as follows in the project proposal: “SMACS will use the combined expertise of the partners in maritime training and search-and-rescue to develop an emergency response and survival training programme and manual focused on the needs of small-craft mariners on commercial, fi... More...

March 2015

The SMACS project objective was summarised as follows in the project proposal: “SMACS will use the combined expertise of the partners in maritime training and search-and-rescue to develop an emergency response and survival training programme and manual focused on the needs of small-craft mariners on commercial, fishing and leisure vessels operating in the Harsh Arctic Maritime Regions.. The programme will develop training packages and e-learning tools using both virtual simulators and practical scenarios, supported by advanced technologies. The training packages will be designed for delivery by local training organisations across the entire NPP region”. The project has achieved all of these objectives and has, in several instances, exceeded them.   -       The first ever comprehensive safety, emergency response and survival training programme specifically focused on the needs of small craft Arctic mariners has been developed. The modules are:  Overview Search and Rescue in the Arctic Arctic Weather and Phenomena Survival in the Arctic Your Vessel in Ice Planning Your Voyage Communications and Navigation Aids Human Factors in the Arctic Emergency Response Caring for the Arctic -       Each module includes three levels suitable for different categories of learners and learning situations: Level 1: A 90-120 second overview video capturing the core message of the module; Level 2: A 5-10 minute PowerPoint presentation giving the key highlights of the learning in the module; Level 3: An extended presentation and/or reading/video resources for in-depth study of the module topic. These three levels were developed based on consultation with training providers and different categories of learner. The levels can be used individually or collectively to deliver training courses ranging from a 1-hour introduction to more extended courses supported by material for independent learning. Continued on next page

-       The SMACS Training Programme: Has been developed not only through the combined efforts of the partners but also with extensive input from stakeholders throughout the NPP, thereby ensuring its relevance to the wider maritime community; Addresses the needs of both indigenous Arctic mariners and of mariners intending to visit the Arctic regions; Uniquely contains extensive video footage of: practical safety and emergency response training in Arctic and northern waters; a cold water survival exercise highlighting the effects of immersion in freezing water without a survival suit; the first known exercise examining the realities of spending an extended time in a crowded liferaft in northern waters; Has been made available in four languages through an online e-learning interface at www.smacs-project.eu and can be freely accessed, used and downloaded by mariners and training organisations throughout the NPP regions and beyond; A training organisation can also download the entire SMACS Training Programme for offline use. -       A unique phone/tablet App has been developed which has comprehensive small craft safety check lists and which also includes training material from the SMACS Training Programme; -       The partners have initialised the development of the first small craft ice navigation simulator and this development will continue after the project conclusion with a view to making the simulator available both online and at training centres.

Less...