Two presidents and one mayor!
There was great interest in the professional seminar held in Rena on Friday, 7 March. The presidents of both the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA) and the Norwegian Psychological Association were present, as well as the mayor of Åmot municipality.
The event gathered representatives from sector authorities, experts, and operational services, ranging from paramedicine students, municipal healthcare services, and police to the Army and the Home Guard.
The aim of the day was to create a platform for meaningful discussions, networking, and relationship-building, with a particular focus on the importance of cooperation between operational preparedness units and civil-military collaboration.
Researcher and senior physician at PROTECT, Inger Lund-Kordahl, and the president of the NMA, Anne-Karin Rime, opened the event. They highlighted the significance of strong health preparedness as a key element of total preparedness and its role in any unforeseen incident.
Researcher André Karlsen dedicated his presentation to decision-making, focusing on the relationship between the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and how strategic choices shaped the pandemic response. He is currently employed at NTNU but will start at the University of Inland Norway (INN) on 1 June 2025.
Professor and psychologist Jonas R. Vaag at INN spoke about the background of the upcoming training programme 'Operational Psychology in Crisis and War' and the importance of mental resilience in critical situations.
Stian Flateng, head of medical services at Innlandet Police District, spoke about the discrepancy between time and resources and the need for increased joint training among emergency services. He highlighted how intrinsic motivation, personal connections, and a strong volunteer spirit help compensate for the urgent need for more exercises.
Bachelor’s students in paramedicine at NTNU presented their ongoing research, including the use of VR technology, under the title: 'Tactical Triage – When Seconds Count and the Environment is a Threat'.
Researcher Anders Lindstad at PROTECT discussed crisis communication and media training, while his colleague Geir Ove Venemyr covered exercise methodology and the importance of evaluation, learning, and implementation after preparedness exercises.
The day concluded with a mini-exercise, where PROTECT’s dedicated training team, Kristoffer Lie Eide and Ronald Slaatmo, guided all participants through an exercise vignette, demonstrating how training is conducted at the preparedness centre.