Working Groups

EFSCA Working Groups

The European Fire Service Colleges’ Association (EFSCA) encourages collaboration and specialized focus on specific areas through the establishment of Working Groups. These groups are formed to address particular issues or objectives that align with the Association’s broader goals.

How a Working Group is Formed:

  1. Initiation by Members: A Working Group can be proposed by at least two EFSCA members who are willing to establish and lead the group. These members take the initiative to outline the scope of the group’s work.
  2. Proposal Submission: The initiating members submit a detailed proposal to the EFSCA Board. This proposal must clearly define the specific goals of the Working Group, the timeline (typically up to two years), and the necessary funding to support its activities.
  3. Approval and Invitation: Once the Board approves the proposal, other EFSCA members are invited to join and participate in the Working Group, depending on their expertise or interest in the topic.
  4. Collaboration Platform: EFSCA provides a collaborative platform for members to share information, ideas, and progress. This platform fosters communication and ensures that all participants remain aligned and informed throughout the duration of the group’s work.
  5. Reporting and Conclusion: At each General Assembly, the leaders of the Working Groups are given the opportunity to provide updates on the progress and outcomes of their work. Upon completion, a brief report is published, summarizing the activities undertaken and the results achieved by the group.

Working Groups play a vital role in advancing the objectives of EFSCA, promoting knowledge exchange, and addressing specific challenges within the fire service community across Europe.

Previous EFSCA Working Groups

Over the years, EFSCA has formed several Working Groups, each focusing on specific areas within the fire service. Below are descriptions of three key past Working Groups:

  1. Innovation, Research and Development Working Group
    This group focused on two primary objectives:
    • Promoting the international exchange of knowledge for the fire service.
    • Promoting international collaboration in research for the fire service.
      Each year, during the General Assembly, the group updates the common topics of interest. Throughout the year, expert exchanges are organized on these topics, and research results are shared, with English abstracts added to the reports. The group aims to establish a pan-European network for knowledge exchange and collaboration within the fire service community.
  2. Training for Volunteers in the Fire Service Working Group
    This group addressed the specific challenges related to volunteer firefighters and first responders across Europe. The varying ways in which volunteer fire services are organized in different countries led to unique needs in terms of selection, education, training, and more. The focus of the group was on exchanging and developing knowledge about certification, training, teaching, and educational methods specifically for volunteers. Activities included research, expert exchanges, sharing curricula, and exchanging experiences to improve training and education for volunteer firefighters and first responders.
  3. Curriculum Development Working Group
    This group was reorganized into two subgroups:
    • Group 1: Focused on curriculum development, specifically the creation of structured curricula for firefighting training (non-academic education) and officer training (academic education, including bachelor and master’s courses). This subgroup was led by a team from Belgium.
    • Group 2: Led by colleagues from Portugal, this subgroup explored the use of software in training processes within fire brigades.
      The group’s activities were guided by a work plan, which included surveys conducted among EFSCA members to gather information on existing curricula and software used. The collected data was analyzed to identify areas for improvement and development. The group also planned half-yearly meetings and worked closely with the Federation of European Union Firefighters (FEU) to ensure alignment with broader efforts.

These Working Groups have contributed to enhancing the professional standards and educational frameworks of the fire service community across Europe, encouraging collaboration and innovation within the field.