DCA mine action programme had a casualty
evacuation exercise in August. The “casualty†is here being carried from the scene of the accident to the casualty evacuation helicopter. Photo Arben Braha
Over the last months, the DanChurchAid Albania mine action programme has been very busy. Productivity has been very high as there has been only little rain and as the summer was long and
sunny resulting in a very high number of m2 cleared and released for use to the local population
Now the summer is ending and the areas in which DCA is working will be moved down the mountains to
lower altitudes to prevent the teams being cut off by early snowfall.
Exercise in remote area
Late August the programme had a very successful casualty evacuation exercise, in
cooperation with a helicopter from the Albanian Armed Forces, at our most isolated minefield.
The exercise proved the ability of DCA medical staff to be able to respond to a mine accident quickly and
also the capability to get helicopter support to evacuate the casualty to a surgical treatment centre.
The helicopter is part of the Government of Albania’s “in
kind†support to the mine action programme. The assistance of the Director of the Albanian Mine Action Executive, Mr Arben Braha, to facilitate the casualty evacuation exercise was
greatly appreciated.Improved lives in AlbaniaOver the next month a dedicated team of experienced team leaders will start visiting local communities adjoining former
minefields that DCA has cleared. The purpose is conducting surveys on how the lives of the people have improved through the clearance of the minefield.
This is an important part in the overall
clearance process which enables the mine action programme to get an accurate assessment of how effective the work has been. Furthermore it provides valuable feedback to the donors on how their funds
have assisted the recovery of the inhabitants of North East Albania.
By Tony Connell
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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