October 7, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2015-33) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org BELGIAN FIRE OBSERVERS IN MOBILE Mobile Fire-Rescue is hosting the Belgian Fire Observers (BFO) this week until October 12. Eight Belgium firefighters and two nurses are in Mobile observing and shadowing Mobile firefighters learning about the American fire service. During their visit, they are staying in Mobile fire stations and ride out on emergency calls to observe the fire crews. So far they have visited the 911 Center, toured downtown Mobile, the ATC Coast Guard Base and USA Medical Center. They’ve also attended a city council meeting and gone out on the Mobile Fire-Rescue’s Phoenix fireboat. On Thursday, October 8 from 8:00 a.m. until noon Mobile firefighters will be doing live fire training in the four story fire training tower at the Mobile Fire-Rescue Training Academy located at 860 Owens Street. At 2 p.m. they will be at Barry’s U-Pull It for vehicle extrication training. On Saturday, October 10, the visiting firefighters are scheduled to be at the USS Alabama with the department’s technical rescue team for high angle/confined space rescue. Their focus here is to look and see behind the scenes how the U.S. fire service works, what we are doing differently than them and what we’re doing the same. How we build buildings is very different here versus there, and how we fight a fire is very different. This is the second time Mobile Fire-Rescue has participated in the International exchange program. ###