CTIF performed hybrid Delegates Assembly with physical and virtual attendance in Marseille 2021
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CTIF has performed its first "hybrid" Delegates Assembly, with both physical and virtual attendance, and CTIF president Milan Dubravac announced that a mixed attendance will be the way of the future for our organisation.
When the pandemic hit in spring of 2020, CTIF was forced to rethink all plans of a physical meeting. Many countries were in lockdown, and there was a world wide advisory against travel in place.
However, when the pandemic continued and travel advisories were still in place during spring 2021, CTIF had to cancel Delegates Assembly during Interschutz, Germany, for the second year in a row.
Quickly, the CTIF Executive Committee regrouped and accepted an new offer from France to host DA; in Marseille during the French National Firefighters´Congress.
The French Firefighters´Congress was an impressive event, especially since it was also visited by the French President Emmanuel Macron.
In total, the event had 4.900 registered congress attendees, more than 100.000 visitors from the general public over the four days, and also 1.200 volunteers helping to organize.
The list of foreign participants to the National congress in Marseille were 87 people. This Includes CTIF, various conferences and the French Civil Protection directorate. Several foreign delegates also came from the various French speaking African countries. The complete list of countries represented physically at the conference were:
Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Fasom, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Equator, Estonia, EU (DH Echo), Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italia, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mauritania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine and USA.
Unfortunately, travel was still difficult for many of us in CTIF during the summer and fall of 2021, so registration for physical attendance was not as high as most previous years. However, the possibility to connect virtually was an appreciated possibility used by several countries at DA 2021.
CTIF President Milan Dubravac announced that the possibility to have a mixed physical and virtual meeting is the way of the future within CTIF, and will likely also be possible in future Delegates Assemblies - especially should pandemic restrictions continue to be an issue.
The Covid -19 Pandemic has forced CTIF to operate at a higher technological level, and even though the past two years have brought many hardships, it has in some ways pushed our organisation into a more modern and effective mode of working.
Many Commissions and Working Groups have adopted a more frequent meeting schedule with the help of video conferencing technology. This includes the CTIF Executive Committee, who has been meeting monthly and sometimes twice per month, also since before the pandemic, using virtual means of connection.
CTIF would like to apologize to those countries who had difficulties connecting due to the start time at 8:30 am, CET (Central European Time). Especially Asia and the Americas have time zone related challenges connecting to day time meetings in Europe, and CTIF is looking at ways to find a meeting schedule which is more inclusive for all member countries.
The DA 2021 was streamed through a video mixer like a web TV program, with three camera angles. Please bare with us as this technology is somewhat new for us. We can only get better for next year, when CTIF will likely offer the same hybrid possibility to attend during DA 2022 in Celje, Slovenia, during the Firefighters´Olympics in July.
Tom van Esbroeck received a CTIF Award for outstanding work as chair of the Extrication & New Technology Commission for the past 8 years. Photo: Bjorn Ulfsson / CTIF
Yvonne Näsman, Sweden, new vice president of CTIF
This year, The DA voted in a new vice president, Yvonne Näsman, Sweden, who held a very engaged and inspiring acceptance speech. CTIF is excited to have yet another driven and experienced woman in the Executive Committee. Yvonne brings over two decades of expertise from firefighting, extrication and ambulance care into CTIF. Welcome, we look forward to working with you over the years!
Major Tom van Esbroeck, Belgium, was awarded a special medal for his 8 years of work as chair of the CTIF Commission for Extrication & New Technology.
Past President Tore Eriksson (CTIF President 2012 - 2020) and vice president Hubert Vetter, who ended his 8 year term today, were also awarded their plaquettes as Honorary Members of CTIF.
Vice President Christophe Marchal , France, also received a plaque of honour from CTIF for his efforts in helping to arrange Delegates Assembly in Marseille this year.
CTIF also welcomes Canada as a new Ordinary Member of CTIF, through the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
Aside from the Activity Reports of the President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer (available on CTIF.org soon), most Vice Presidents of CTIF held brief presentations of what the Commissions and Working Groups within their area of responsibility have accomplished during the year.
Initial report by Björn Ulfsson, CTIF Communications
We will return soon with a more detailed report of Delegates Assembly 2021!
Cover Photo: (Above) Delegates Assembly 2021 in Marseille. To the right, CTIF´s new vice president Yvonne Näsman, from Sweden. Photo: Björn Ulfsson / CTIF
