Fire and medical training centres

Our training centres in the Netherlands have become a key part in building our leading international reputation in the field of fire and medical training for emergency situations.

More than 20,000 students from all over the globe come to our Maasvlakte-Rotterdam and Amsterdam fire and medical training centres annually to take realistic exercises using unique facilities.

We offer customers both consultancy, education and training for all levels of the emergency management organisation in industrial environments and for public services, as well as fire training courses for all personnel working in the oil & gas, maritime and wind industry.

This page provides information on our fire and medical training in the Netherlands. If you’re looking for a different safety course, you can use our course finder to try and find it or if it’s a service and solution you’re after (such as competence management) you can find it from our homepage. Otherwise please find below…

Oil & Gas courses include:

• Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET): A BOSIET course provides the necessary skills to handle a variety of emergency scenarios working offshore.

• Further Offshore Emergency Training (FOET): The course is a continuation of the topics covered in the basic safety training also known as BOSIET.

• Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET): HUET stands for Helicopter Underwater Escape Training. The HUET abbreviation is the offshore industry standard for the type of training needed for personnel travelling to and from offshore facilities.

• Helideck Assistant (HDA): A Helideck Assistant course teaches how to work alongside the Helicopter Landing Officer to make sure helicopters safely land and can take off from offshore facilities.

See all our courses for oil & gas.

Maritime courses include:

• STCW Basic Safety Training: A STCW Basic Safety Training course provides all required elements of STCW Basic Safety Training delivered in both theoretical and practical modules, each training element will be assessed by qualified assessors to meet the competence requirements of the STCW code.
  
  
• STCW Advanced Firefighting: A STCW Advanced Fire Fighting course is designed to deliver competence based training of advanced firefighting techniques. Delegates will refresh their basic fire skills and gain knowledge of command and control of fire teams, the organisation and training of onboard fire parties and investigation and reporting of fire incidents onboard vessels.
  
  
• STCW Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher: A STCW Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher course aims to deliver competence based training of advanced firefighting techniques. Delegates will be assessed by qualified assessors against the competences contained within the STCW Code.

See all our courses for maritime.

Wind courses include:

• GWO First Aid.
• GWO Sea Survival.
• GWO Fire Awareness.
• Working at Heights: A Working at Heights course provides learners with an awareness of the hazards involved in working at height and gives an overview of industry best practice in relation to working at height.

See all our courses for wind courses.

Index:

• Heritage
• Our passion
• Our commitment
• Professionals in safety
• State-of-the art fire and medical training
• The Fire Academy
• Fire training
• Medical and special first aid training
• Specialist first aid

Heritage

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Our heritage in dealing in fire and medical related incidents dates back to 1985 when we opened our first fire and medical training centre in 1985 in the Port of Rotterdam under the name Maritime Training Centre.

In the same year RISC Education & Training was founded by Smit salvage company, the NVD (Dutch Security Service) and the Rotterdam Port Authority. RISC (Rotterdam International Safety Centre), specialised in fire training and consultancy services for the high risk onshore industry and public emergency responders.

Our MTC logo at the time showed an offshore oil rig alight to symbolise an emergency situation with the words “survival” around it. It was a logo well recognised in the industry and was later updated when we merged with Nutec in 2000. The RISC logo included a flame to highlight our services. Several rebrands and an acquisition later we became RelyOn Nutec and RelyOn Nutec Fire Academy at the beginning of 2018.

A few years before we merged with Nutec our training centre had to move to make space for a large industrial facility. And in 2018 history has repeated itself once again. A large oil storage terminal called HES is expanding and required a deep-water berths and facilities and so our fire and medical training centre moved once more in the summer of 2018.

Below you can find milestones that chart our history.

1985 - Rotterdam International Safety Centre (RISC) founded.
1985 - Maritime Training Centre (MTC) founded.
2000 - Merger of Nutec and MTC.
2004 - Nutec and RISC acquired by Falck A/S.
2015 - Falck Risc rebranded to Falck Fire Academy.
2015 - Falck Nutec rebranded to Falck Safety Services.
2019 - Falck Safety Services and Falck Fire Academy acquired by Polaris.
2019 - Falck Fire Academy rebranded to RelyOn Nutec Fire Academy.

Our passion

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We are passionate about safety. And we know our passion makes a difference. Our work gives us the opportunity to share our experience and knowledge in safety education and training for fire and medical related accidents and incidents. We offer our services from our unique and realistic fire and medical training centres.

Our commitment

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Our consultants and instructors have real life experience from the high-risk onshore and offshore sector and the public domain and, most importantly, they have the ability to transfer knowledge to others. We make sure our knowledge is continuously updated and aligned with applicable standards, best practices and lessons learned from more than 35 years of safety consultancy services and educating and training people.

Professionals in safety

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Already for over three decades we have been offering consultancy, education and training in dealing with fire and medical related incidents in the onshore and offshore industry and the public sector. We stress the importance on competence training. We combine lessons learned from actual incidents with a realistic fire and medical training centre to give a unique training experience. This way we, in close collaboration with our customers, can develop a capable emergency organisation able to deal effectively with an incident.

We train people across all levels of an organisations. For example in a public fire brigade, we train firefighters (level 1), the crew commanders and team leaders (level 2), officers and commanders (level 3) and the majors and directors (level 4). It's more or less the same for the offshore and maritime and wind industry. We train the 'non-essentials' - people that have no role in an incident but need to have basic safety training. These people include the lifeboat coxwains, fire team members and leaders, helicopter landing officers and the offshore installation manager or officer/captain on board a ship.

We continually invest in improving the quality of our offering. For example, our instructors come from the high risk onshore, offshore, maritime and wind industry or governmental sectors, and they first follow extensive, internal fire and medical training before they are allowed to teach. The instructors can speak the language of the customer and use their vast experience of the business. Using an internal quality management system, the instructors are continually tested and assessed on their competencies.

Our worldwide reputation can also be attributed to our Emergency Response Team which is deployed worldwide for fighting calamities, both on and offshore. The experience gained during these actual real life incidents can be utilised at the fire and medical training centres.

State-of-the art fire and medical training

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In comparison with other training centres, we distinguish ourselves through the use of recognisable, realistic training facilities reflecting the environment of the customer.

Our centre in Rotterdam-Maasvlakte is known for its state-of-the-art facilities and is a jewel in our crown.

The fire and medical training centre includes training facilities related to both the offshore, maritime and wind industry, as well as the high risk industry and for public firefighters.

Covering an area of approx. 6.5 hectares, wood, liquids and gases are utilised to make live fires, which are subsequently controlled and extinguished with water, foam, powder and Co2.

Training props which include process installations, large surface fires, a ship, trains, a motorway and a swimming pool, make it possible to approach reality as closely as possible.

We also have a state-of-the-art water filtering and reclamation system for the training facility to protect the environment. The closed sewerage system prevents polluted extinguishing water from entering the soil and watercourses. The extinguished water is then purified and recycled - the quality of which is monitored on a regular basis.

We have invested in the safety of our students and instructors in areas of procedures and services. These include providing students with a clean kit twice a day and establishing the right containment and cleaning procedures for PPE and equipment for the fire training.

Safety procedures, safety information and safety awareness of our personnel all contribute to this. All possible measures are taken to contribute to environmental responsibility. Therefore, we train our delegates safely and responsible.

Many clients from industrial plants have requested to do exercises in an even more realistic training environment that mimics their own industrial plant and processes they work with.

We created industrial fire training facilities which have pipelines and other industrial features that are connected above and below ground, and are an exact copy of a modern industrial plant.

All fire process units are controlled from a central control room, where the fires can be managed automatically to simulate the way a specific fuel or gas would behave.

The fire training facilities also include a large oil storage tank simulator with surrounding bunds.

We considered safety, quality and reality as the three key elements when we designed the fire and medical centre in Rotterdam-Maasvlakte. We were able to create a fire and medical training centre where we can really focus on our customers by offering major incident training.

It is not the only place for fire and medical training in the Netherlands however, as we have a second training centre in the north of Amsterdam.

Not to be out done, our fire and medical training centre in Amsterdam is well equipped with two indoor swimming pools, working at height facilities, classrooms to provide medical training and a ship for interior firefighting and multiple maritime crisis scenario’s including ship abandonment with life boats.

Various realistic scenarios can be imitated on all of the training facilities.

There really is no better place to go for fire and medical training facilities than at our training centres in the Netherlands.

The Fire Academy

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Our Fire Academy offers consultancy, education and training for all levels of the emergency management organisation in both industrial environments and public services.

For almost every emergency situation the Fire Academy offers a training programme and a realistic training environment and scenarios.

Industrial fire training

We have identified four levels within an organisation which cover the operational, tactical and strategic responses to an incident in which the key roles need to be trained and assessed. We teach people at each level to act effectively and bring the incident under control as soon as possible. Our management system has been certified to the ISO 9001:2015 standard and to strengthen the quality of the training delivered, we are also accredited by JOIFF (International Organisation for Industrial Hazard Management) and IFV (Institute for Safety) to name just a few.

We provide a number of services within the field of industrial firefighting: education and training, tailormade training and consultancy.

Education and training
Whether you’re a first responder, team leader or part of a crisis management team, we have educational programmes for all levels of a response organisation. These programmes are built to have the necessary competence to carry out the role in question safely. It’s vital that after training has been completed that the knowledge gained can be called upon whenever it is needed. We therefore offer regular training to maintain skills and further development at our training site.

Tailormade training
To stay sharp an emergency response organisation requires regulatory training to optimise its performance and train for specific situations. It’s here that we discuss your needs and offer a tailormade programme that suits your organisation best. The objective and content of which are determined after a consultation with you.

Consultancy
We follow our own Safety Cycle concept to structure an Emergency Response development or optimisation process. The tried and tested concept which helps reviews and assess Emergency Response organisations on their capabilities, competences, training programmes and skills.

Municipal firefighting

Aside from industrial firefighting we also specialise in government fire brigade training at all levels, ranging from fire brigade fire fighters through to junior and senior officer training - taking best practices from around the world.

All our courses for the international market follow the international recognised NFPA (National Fire Protection Standards) and for incident command system model from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And it doesn’t stop there. We also specialise in hazardous materials response, rescue, ship firefighting and industrial firefighting. Rescue training includes situations from enclosed spaces, urban search and rescue, vehicles, rope rescue operator or technician levels and working and rescue at heights.

We also offer a worldwide recognised training, specialised in extrication techniques which incorporates a unique seven-step Systematic Approach to Vital Emergency Response (SAVER Method), developed by the International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET).

Tailormade training
An emergency response organisation requires regulatory training to optimise its performance or maybe to train for specific situations. Our sales advisors will discuss your needs and offer a tailor-made programme, to make sure your organisation remains well trained and operating efficiently.

The learning objectives and content are determined after consultation with one of our sales advisors.

Consultancy
Our consultants have developed the Safety Cycle concept to structure an Emergency Response development or optimisation process. This is a proven concept to review and assess Emergency Response organisations on their capabilities, competences, training programs and skills.

Education and training
We offer a number of educational programmes for all levels of a response organisation, such as First Responders and Crisis Managers. Each programme is designed to ensure that each level has the necessary competence to act effectively and bring the incident under control as soon as possible by taking the correct (control) measures.

Consultancy

We have assembled a strong team of experienced senior consultants who all possess a track record in business management combined with having worked within public or industrial fire brigades. We can support fire brigades with e.g. organisational queries and the implementation of operational plans.

Emergency response

Deployed from their base in Rotterdam, our team of specialists firefighters are always on hand to assist with emergencies, whenever and wherever around the world. The emergency response team come equipped with personal protective equipment and the relevant specialist materials. The team is capable of assisting with fires on board ships, industrial fires and incidents involving hazardous substances. Emergency calls are answered by our duty manager who will ascertain the nature of the problem with you. Steps will then be taken to put together the best possible team for your specific needs.

Fire training

From our two training centres in the Netherlands we provide a range of courses for people working in oil & gas, maritime and wind - where there is a risk of a fire. Below we have compiled a list of popular courses for people working across all levels in these industries.

• STCW Advanced Firefighting (AFF).
• GWO Fire Awareness.
• NOGEPA 2.6A Fire Team Member.
• NOGEPA 2.8A Fire Team Leader.
• Auriex - Remote Area Combat First Aid - First aid warfare in remote areas.
• Advanced firefighting: industrial fire brigade team leader and industrial fire brigade incident commander

Medical and specialist first aid training

Medical training
You could be a professional firefighter or an employee working in oil & gas, maritime or wind, and something can happen which is not caused by fire or there is no fire at all. We offer medical training to treat such incidents, be it a cut, illness, poisoning or a motorist trapped in a car who needs medical attention. These incidents will differ from each other as there are different risks depending on the working environment. Below are relevant medical and first aid courses you may find interesting.

• STCW Medical Care.
  
• STCW Medical First Aid.
  
• GWO First Aid.
  
• NOGEPA 2.2A Basic First Aid Offshore.
  
• Auriex - Remote Area Combat First Aid - First aid warfare in remote areas.

Special first aid training

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Special first aid training is for companies where the working environment is more unique and the need for bespoke tailoring and additional first aid is required. Imagine a situation on board a ship that's on fire. You need a medic but you're far away from help so you'll need to have the knowledge yourself to help someone in an emergency. Or you're on an oil refinery and someone's heart stops beating, being able to perform CPR on the spot increases the possibility of surviving sudden cardiac arrest.

The type of special first aid training necessary isn’t only dependent on the environment, it’s also based on your role, whether you’re a professional firefighter or you’re part of a regular workforce, as you will be trained in different things.

We can also offer a first aid training for treatment of casualties during a terrorist incident. A person could have an injury caused by a bomb and you need to think fast and treat them and also to mobilise them without causing any further injury.

For maritime, we have specific medical first aid courses according to STCW. This is done in conjunction with a partner nearby.

Scenario based training

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Scenario based training can help organisations excel when there is a team working on board of a platform, vessel or wind turbine. And in this training we can incorporate the company’s specific policies and safety procedures making it very realistic. With over 15 years of experience we have seen that time and time again simulating the participants working environment in realistic scenarios create the best learning outcomes.

When you do scenario based training with us you’re able to combine several refresher training modules in scenarios. For the offshore industry we can combine several refresher trainings at our Rotterdam fire and medical training centre, e.g. training elements from the FOET, life boat training, first aid, fire training and crisis management. At the end of the training there is a large final exercise that includes all kinds of elements such as fire in the accommodation, crisis management in the control room and actual abandonment of the platform. An additional benefit from this type of training is that training modules can be combined which decreases the overall training time.

We also offer scenario based training for the maritime industry and with our knowledge gained from this type of training in the offshore industry we have been able to reduce the training time for all maritime refresher training modules from seven days to five.

To offer this type of maritime scenario based training we have state-of-the-art fire training facilities in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In Amsterdam we use a real ship and in Rotterdam we have a training facility that looks like a ship, including a bridge from where captains and officers can control the incident.

During the training in Rotterdam virtual reality is used for an immersive experience. This enables us to incorporate extra scenarios to the training. During the training, when there is a fire in the engine room, a warning will show up on the screen in the control room. From here controllers have to activate the fire alarm, after which the crew has to muster, get dressed and follow the existing procedures. This training object gives the opportunity to train the entire crew, from deck hands to officer or captain. The virtual reality makes it possible to simulate the working environment of a specific ship, which brings the training even closer to reality. Evaluation of the training is possible through observation behind tinted glass.

Last but not least, we run Global Wind Organisation (GWO) accredited refresher modules as scenarios based training. This allows us to make significant quality improvements in GWO refresher training.

Additionally, any overlap between the modules will be avoided, which leaves more time for realistic scenario exercises and a greater focus on achieving learning objectives. Finally, it leaves the customer room to implement their specific requests in the scenarios.

The duration of the combined GWO SBT refresher training is the same as the refresher training of all GWO modules consisting of four days. In consultation with the wind industry companies, it will be decided which elements in the scenarios may be given extra attention.