The first rapid response volunteer squad has been formed in the Vitebsk regional organization of the BCRC

July 22, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The first volunteer rapid response team for emergency situations has been formed in the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRCS), the chairperson of the regional organization Galina Zhelanova told a BELTA correspondent. The team includes 12 young people - engineers and workers from Vitebsk enterprises. The volunteers are being trained under the guidance of like-minded enthusiasts from the Visaginas committee of the Lithuanian Red Cross, who have been providing effective assistance to rescuers and police in eliminating man-made accidents and searching for people for four years. The training program includes courses on pre-medical assistance and first psychological aid, as well as methods for searching for people lost in the forest. The technical equipment for the team was undertaken by the Belarusian Red Cross. Uniforms, backpacks, first-aid kits, and navigation devices will be purchased for the volunteers. By the end of 2009, Lithuanian volunteers will conduct two more training seminars, and the first Belarusian team will be ready for work. According to Galina Zhelanova, the Red Cross initiative to create volunteer rapid response teams has found support from the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The training of Vitebsk rescuers' assistants is being conducted in accordance with the cooperation agreement between the Vitebsk and Visaginas branches of the Red Cross, signed at the beginning of the current year. -0-