OFFB has had a good collaboration with the University of Stavanger (UiS) for several years. The collaboration has been particularly close with the master program in societal safety. Over the years, OFFB has recruited several people with a master’s in societal safety, and several of our employees have also taken this master’s while working here.
A consistent link between research, theory and practice
Recently, Professor of Societal Safety, Bjørn Ivar Kruke, brought the students on a visit here to us at Koppholen in Forus.
They got to know OFFB’s history and what it means to be on duty for offshore workers at sea and on land facilities, and how we train and practice together with our members to be as always prepared as possible.
They were particularly curious about the collaboration between member companies, which can be said to be quite unique for the industry – and very successful. This is shown by OFFB’s 15-year history as a non-profit emergency response organization.
They also saw that there is a consistent link between research and theory and how the subject is practiced.
Tested in roles in the emergency room
The students got to try out the role of being part of the duty team in our emergency room when the head of plan and emergency response, Ann Christin Auestad, simulated an incident and its handling. The incident was based on an exercise we conducted for one of our members.
When the initial message came in from the sea, one of the students became the emergency leader, while those who had taken the positions of information coordinator, personnel coordinator, government coordinator, logistics coordinator, and chief of staff assumed these roles. They reported that it was an educational afternoon.
- We at OFFB are pleased with the long and close collaboration we have with Professor Bjørn Ivar Kruke and the societal safety study at UiS. Now we also hope that some students will choose OFFB for an internship. It provides useful learning both ways, says Auestad.
