PROACTIVE Webinar on Covid-19 response: Bullseye presentation

The European research project PROACTIVE (Preparedness against CBRNE threats through common approaches between security practitioners and the vulnerable civil society) hosted a webinar dedicated to the Covid-19 crisis on 30 April 2020. The webinar aimed to share and discuss ongoing responses against Covid-19. 84 participants from 23 different countries attended the online event.

The Bullseye project was invited to present the project during this webinar. Eulalie Groosman (National Crisis Center) introduced the project’s aim and activities, followed by an update on how the project work is affected by the current crisis. The main point was that the three workshops which were planned between April and September 2020 have been postponed to the end of the year because of the current travel restrictions.

Read more about the webinar and the other presentations on the UIC website.

Participants attending the webinar. Photo credit: PROACTIVE ( https://proactive-h2020.eu/).

Bullseye Workshops 2, 3 & 4 Postponed

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor postponed

In light of the rapidly escalating concerns about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), we made the decision to postpone the Bullseye Workshops 2, 3 and 4. We do of course regret this, but it is a reality we are facing worldwide and which is out of our control.

We are currently working with the consortium to find new dates, which will most likely be in the fall of 2020. We will contact the participants in the near future with the details.

Bullseye Workshop for First Line Responders (Warsaw, 19-21 February 2020)

From 19 until 21 February, 45 CBRNe experts and first responders gathered in Warsaw for the Bullseye Workshop for First-Line Responders. Police, emergency medical services and firefighters from Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Spain were present.

Starting from the findings of Bullseye’s gap analysis, the first responders discussed their own good practices and needs for the response to a chemical or biological attack. Furthermore, experts gave valuable insights from their real-life experiences with terrorism and CBRNe and there was a demonstration of personal protective equipment and detection equipment.

Based on two tabletop exercises, the international group drafted guidelines for a CBRNe attack. They focused on the first actions that police, emergency medical services, firefighters and civil protection can take in the response to a chemical or biological attack in order to save lives and protect themselves.

Second Bullseye Project Steering Group Meeting (21-22 January 2020)

January 21-22th, the second Project Steering Group Meeting took place in Madrid, on the premises of the Spanish Consortium Member INTA. During the meeting, the Steering Group looked back at the past year and evaluated the project’s activities of 2019. They took the opportunity to fine-tune the planning for 2020 as well.

The Steering Group wants to thank INTA for their generosity to host us for this meeting.

Picture: Bullseye Project Steering Group with general Ortega, director general of INTA.

Save the date(s) – Project Bullseye First responder workshops in 2020

To ensure a harmonization of the procedures is response to chemical and biological threats, experts and practitioners will be brought together during four workshops in 2020. The first three workshops target respectively first, second and third line practitioners. The fourth and final workshop will bring together the results of the previous workshops in a multi-agency workshop to test the draft of the procedures on their interoperability in a tabletop exercise.

The calendar for the workshops is the following:

Date Description Who? Where?
17/02/2020 –
21/02/2020 		Workshop 1: 1st line practitioners Non-specialist police, emergency medical
services, fire fighters and civil protection 		Poland
20/04/2020 –
24/04/2020 		Workshop 2: 2nd line practitioners Military/defense and specialist police Slovakia
10/05/2020 –
14/05/2020 		Workshop 3: 3rd line practitioners DVI/forensics and  laboratories Spain
14/09/2020 –
18/09/2020 		Workshop 4: multi-agency workshop Selection of practitioners from all
disciplines 		Belgium

If you have questions regarding the workshops or if you would like further information, please contact the coordinating team on Bullseye@ibz.fgov.be

Second Bullseye WP3 meeting (Brussels, 18-19 November 2019)

 On November 18 and 19, the second WP 3 meeting regarding the harmonization of the procedures took place at the facilities of the Belgian National Crisis Center in Brussels.

The detailed program for the First Responder workshops in 2020 was compiled. An overview of the First Responder workshop can be found here. Further, the participating consortium partners discussed the first results of the conducted questionnaire regarding procedures and equipment used by first responders in case of a chemical or biological threat.

The first results look promising and the report on the gap analysis will follow in the beginning of 2020.

Bullseye Questionnaire and Gap analysis (August – September 2019)

During the months of August and September 2019, the Bullseye Consortium partners conducted a survey in their respective home countries. The questionnaire revolved around the use of procedures and equipment by first responders in case of a chemical or biological threat. 

The results of the survey will be presented in a report on the identified gaps. The report is foreseen for publication at the beginning of 2020.

Bullseye Expert meeting (Edinburgh, 27-28 July 2019)

On June 27 and 28, an meeting for the Bullseye Project took place in Edinburgh on the premises of Fettes Police Station. It was facilitated thanks to several experts of the SMARTEU multiagency training school from UK.

The meeting was attended by a selected group of experts with a wide range of expertise in the field of ‘first response’ and chemical or biological threats and by members of the Project Steering Group.  Representatives from Europol attended the meeting via Videoconference.

The participants discussed about the concept of the required an optimal interaction between the first responders and experts during the workshops in 2020 and the methodology of the Gap Analysis.

Bullseye in NCT Magazine

Van Mechelen, I. (2019). EU Project ‘Bullseye’: Harmonized procedures for first responders after a biological or chemical terrorist attack. NCT Magazine, 2(8), pp. 14. To consult via http://nct-magazine.com/nct-magazine-october-2019/eu-project-bullseye/

Abstract:

The EU-funded Bullseye project coordinated by the National Crisis Center of Belgium aims to enhance the preparedness and response of the European emergency services to such CBRN incidents. The project is funded by the ISF Police Fund of the European Commission and will last for three years from April 2019 until March 2022. More information can be found at http://www.bullseyeproject.eu/

One of the primary goals of the Bullseye project is the harmonization of the procedures for all first respondersinvolved in a response to terrorist chemical or biological attack. The participants of the project include the local police, medical services, fire services, civil protection, the military, specialized police forces, DVI, forensics and labs. The whole process will keep in mind the interoperability of the involved agencies as well as the multiagency and the civil-military aspects. In order to enhance the learning aspect of the project and foster adequate and firm response to CBRN events explicit cooperation between NATO and the EU will also take place. The second goal of Bullseye is related to prevention, concretely the expansion of the training facilities for explosive-detection dogs (K9).