Andy Marshall presents the Amsterdam Fire Service with a thank you gift on behalf of the Staffordshire Resilience Forum.

Staffordshire CCU Visit to Amsterdam - 4 & 5 March 2008

The main aim of the visit was to learn more about flood risk management in Amsterdam in order to support the work that has been in progress in Staffordshire since summer 2007 to improve the way that we respond to major flooding.

The visit was hosted by the Amsterdam Fire Service and included a tour of the City's emergency command centre, a demonstration of the Fire Service's water rescue capability and a look at one of Amsterdam's vast water pumping stations. 

Commenting on the visit, Marie Dale, one of the CCU's Civil Contingencies Officers and Project Manager for the new Staffordshire Emergency Flood Plan, recognised the importance of learning how Amsterdam approaches flood management:  "The challenges facing Amsterdam are vast as much of the City is located well below sea level.  However, we can still learn a lot from our colleagues in Amsterdam, particularly in terms of how we work together and communicate in an emergency"

Andy Marshall, Staffordshire's Director of Civil Contingencies, heralded the visit as a positive step forward for the CCU and its partner organisations:  "I am extremely grateful to the Amsterdam Fire Service for organising such a varied and informative visit for us.  We have learned a great deal from this experience and I think that there is much potential for the CCU and its partners from the Staffordshire Resilience Forum to work with our colleagues from Amsterdam again in the future."