For this reason, Pål Erland and Kim Sviland have recently led training courses and professional seminars in Florø and Hammerfest.
In Hammerfest, a dedicated cooperation meeting was held at Vår Energi’s offices together with the police, Hammerfest municipality, the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association, Vår Energi, Securitas and OFFB.
“The purpose was to get to know each other better in ‘peacetime’ so that it is easier to find one another on the day a real crisis occurs. We experienced very good outcomes from this meeting and the two days of training, with skilled and highly motivated participants. We also conducted a dedicated visit to the heliport to take a closer look at the reception of evacuees, such as those arriving from Goliat,” says Erland, who is the professional lead for the OSEP service as well as Emergency Response Manager at OFFB.
In Florø, a cooperation exercise was organised involving the police, the municipality, Avinor, the 330 Squadron, as well as Vår Energi, Securitas and Quality Hotel. The objective was to get to know one another and understand how we can work together.
Professional support for evacuees and next of kin
The Operator’s Centre for Evacuees and Next of Kin (OSEP) is a place for individuals who have been involved in an incident but have not suffered physical injuries. Here, they receive support and assistance such as reunification with family members, counselling services and care.
If an incident occurs that requires personnel to be transported ashore, the contracted hotels will be prepared, rooms will be made available and the necessary resources will be mobilised. Competent personnel such as the police, clergy, healthcare workers, operator representatives and other specialists will be present to take care of those affected.
OSEP also functions as a next-of-kin centre and a physical meeting place for relatives who need information, assistance, care and counselling services. The next-of-kin telephone response centre is closely linked to OSEP.
OFFB has established OSEP at several locations along the Norwegian coast. Most have been active year-round, while Florø and Hammerfest have previously depended on exploration activities. Now, all OSEP centres are activated year-round. This benefits everyone – both the hotels, the reception systems and OFFB’s other members.
“We now have active OSEP centres in Stavanger, Bergen, Florø, Kristiansund, Brønnøysund and Hammerfest. This means they can be established quickly when needed,” says Pål Erland.
