ILSE Training Courses

Dr. Klaus Wilkens, ILS President for Europe reported on the lifesaving training activities that have been organised in Europe.

Training Course in Latvia


Dr. Klaus Wilkens, ILS President for Europe reported on the lifesaving training activities that have been organised in Europe.

Training Course in Latvia

The 9th Training Course in Latvia was organised from 30 July to 10 August in the city of Jurmala.

Training Course in Romania

The 4th training course in Romania was organised in Constanta from 18 to 29 September 2006. The course was excellently prepared by the Romanian Lifesaving Association ANSPSR. After the 14 days of practical training and theoretical instruction all 10 very committed and good qualified participants passed successful examinations, nine as International Beach – Surf Lifeguard and one International Lifesaver.

It was a great honour for all participants and organisers, that the ILS President Alan Whelpton AO made a stopover in Constanta on his way to the ILS Board Meeting in Leuven. He observed the training and talked with the instructors and participants. Further ANSPSR organised a helicopter trip for him, so that he could get an excellent idea about the Black Sea coastline, the mountains and other Romanian sights.

Further a press conference was organised. Many representatives of the Romanian TV and newspapers came to the training centre. The instructors presented a report about their work in Romania and the activities of ILS, ILSE and the DLRG. The ILS President, the Romanian representatives and the ILSE Instructors took the chance to answer the many questions of the journalists.

It is worth to remark, that unfortunately there are many drownings in Romania in the last years, but in the area of Mamaia, where ANSPSR organises the lifeguard service, there are only a very few drownings. Swimming in Mamaia became safer.

A special course for the education of rescue divers was organised in Constantia ” Romania in June 2007. The DLRG instructors Thorsten Gärtner and Hartmut Roolfs trained six Romanian divers as International Rescue Divers. This course witnessed a very sad shadow. The young Romanian lifeguard Bogdan Ciubotariu hit by lightning in a rescue boat during a thunder storm, when he tried to help another boat with a defect engine. Unfortunately all efforts to save his life were not successful, he died in the hospital. In respect of this tragic incident the training course was interrupted and shall be continued later.

Training Course in Turkey

The second training course was organised in Kemer from 6 to 25 November. The Instructors Ortwin Kreft, Thomas Rippel and Malte Stock trained 27 participants (10 International Beach Lifeguards, 16 International Instructors and 1 International Lifesaver). After the first course in April 2006, the TSSF has adopted its national examination regulation to the international stan¬dard. TSSF Vice President Yilmaz Akyunus informed that almost 1,000 lifesavers have been trained according to this new standard.

Training Course in Russia

After a first start with a training course in 1999, the project was interrupted. During a meeting of Chief Instructor Helmut Stöhr and the ILSE President Dr. Klaus Wilkens with VOSVOD President Petr Nelesin in Moscow in June 2006 planning for a continuing of the project as made. A first training course was organised in Moscow from 14 to 25 August 2006. 10 participants could pass successful examinations, four of them became International Lifesaver and six could be qualified as International Lifeguards. The course shall be continued in 2007, in which some of the participants shall have the chance to become Assistant Instructor.

Training Course in Greece

On inquiry of the Greek Member Association, the Hellenic Red Cross, Rescuers and Sa¬maritans Corp a training course was organised in Patras on the 15th, 18th and 19th July 2006. The DLRG Instructors Thilo Künneth and Armin Flohr trained the participants as specialists for flood disaster and swift water operations. Dr. Klaus Wilkens joint the course for one day for a presentation about the risk assessment calculation model.

Risk Assessment Training Courses

In 2006 training and accreditation courses were organised in Bude, Cornwall and Wales (United Kingdom), in Liscannor (Ireland), in Bad Nenndorf (Germany), in Hoek van Holland ” (Netherlands) and in Copenhangen (Denmark). Many of the last year’s participants could be qualified as an “Assessor.

In 2007 Training/Accreditation courses were and/or shall be organised in Eastbourne (Great Britain), Bad Nenndorf (Germany), Spanish Point (Ireland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

Source: Extract from Activity Report Europe 2007 ” Submitted by Dr. Klaus Wilkens, ILSE President