Norwegian People’s Aid conducts explosives training in Vietnam

	350-kg wartime bomb found near North-South rail line in Quang Binh
	2 huge bombs safely handled in Quang Tri
	Quang Tri safely handles 250-kg wartime bomb

Trainees participating in the training course are exchanging ideas about a hypothetical situation. Photo: Quang Tri newspaper

For the first time, The Norwegian People’s Aid Vietnam has conducted a three-week intensive course on International Mine Action Standards Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Level 3 in Vietnam’s central Quang Tri province.

The training course, concluded on June 16, aims to give NPA’s most senior technical staff the skills and knowledge they need to achieve the IMAS (International Mine Action Standards) EOD Level 3 competency.

The course was instructed by Paul Eldred, NPA Vietnam Technical Field Manager at Project RENEW in Quang Tri province, who has over 25 years of experience in the EOD, search, and mine-warfare fields.

Part of the training course. Photo: VNA

He said the course is an affirmation of NPA Vietnam’s commitment with the provincial authorities to improve the qualification of selected programme staff.

“One of the key objectives of NPA is to ensure that Vietnam has qualified personnel capable of dealing with residual explosive ordnance in the long term”, he said.

To help achieve this objective, Eldred designed a course with five days of theoretical training followed by 13 days of practical training and assessment. Live demolitions were also carried out during the course, designed to replicate challenging scenarios that the technicians may encounter in their work in central Vietnam – including explosive ordnance in populated areas, or near important infrastructure like power stations and fuel stations.

Hypothetical scenario: One 75mm High Explosive mechanical time fuze projectile. Photo NPA via Facebook

The eight trainees are eight senior national staff members from NPA’s projects in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. They are team leaders, supervisors, and operations managers, who have been working for NPA for years.

Prior to course admission, all trainees passed a rigorous assessment, and will be observed, mentored and assessed for an additional six months following the completion of the course before receiving their certification./.

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