1. Context & background

Title of the project: Institutionalising a Volunteer First Responder Service in Armenia (VolFiRe)

Country / Location: Armenia / nationwide

Date of the Action:01.12.2022 –  31.08.2025

 

The Civil Protection system in Armenia is currently mainly based on professional responders from governmental institutions. They are to a large extent on-duty firefighters and other paid staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES). But Armenia has numerous remote areas particularly affected by the limited coverage through the regional fire and rescue services. These areas are often out of reach if we consider international standards for rapid response to emergencies and disasters. The closest MES local fire brigades are established far from these municipalities, 20km to 45km, and access is often difficult (bad road conditions, mountainous roads…). In some cases, the emergency services cannot at all reach the municipalities due to snowfall in winter or landslides in spring. This fact also applies to ambulances and other medical services. Therefore, the Armenian population living in remote areas is extremely vulnerable in case of emergencies (accidents, medical emergencies, house fires…) and disasters (landslides, forest fires…).

Therefore, the Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) implemented the StrengthVOL project from 2020 – 2022 (funded by DG ECHO and co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency). In the frame of this project the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia (MES), Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) and Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) developed a comprehensive model for Civil Protection volunteering for Armenia. In this model, the volunteers are first responders, firefighters and rescuers called “Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups” (VFRGs). Volunteers pass an exam with MES and successful candidates receive from MES an official rescuer ID. VFRGs are alerted and deployed by the MES Crisis Management Centre (911) for any emergency or disaster occurring within the municipality. They are available 24/7 and should be deployed within 15 minutes after the alert. The groups are responsible for running the station, equipment and fire truck. They are alerted and deployed regularly. They are volunteer firefighters like in similar volunteer systems in many European countries, e.g., Austria.

Based on the lessons learned from the StrengthVOL project and its main recommendations, the following outputs have been defined for the current project “Institutionalising a Volunteer First Responder Service in Armenia (VolFiRe)”:

• Further development of the conceptual framework for Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups in Armenia (> Output 1)
• The model for Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups (VFRG) should be established as an integral part of the civil protection system of Armenia. (> Output 2)
• More Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups should be established, trained, activated, and well-supported countrywide. (> Output 3)
• Since MES capacities are also limited in case of large-scale disasters, the local Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups should be made deployable also for regional disaster response (> Output 4)
• Gender equality and disability inclusion are important aspects to be integrated in the Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups. (> Output 5)

Training on “Easy to Read” is going to be realised within Output 5 of the ADC (Austrian Development Cooperation)-financed consortium project of Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), Austrian Red Cross (AutRC), Armenian Caritas (AC) and Caritas Austria (CA). AutRC is the lead organisation of this project, Caritas is responsible for promoting Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion within the Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups in this project.

Being aware of the diversity dimensions like gender, disabilities, age, etc and adapting programs and actions adequately to the respective needs helps to make the project actions more relevant for those most in need and ensure that nobody is left behind. This, in turn, contributes to creating more inclusive and equitable communication practices within organisations and communities.

 

2. Objective & Scope

The primary objective of this task is to empower session participants with the knowledge and skills needed to promote effective, accessible communication for diverse audiences and make information easy to read, hence more accessible to a broader range of people: PWD, elderly, including those with varying literacy skills or individuals for whom the content may be a new or unfamiliar subject. The training session shall be based on the “European standards for making information easy to read and understand”[2] and designed for the staff (of Armenian Caritas and Armenian Red Cross Society) and stakeholders who want to make the information more accessible, especially for people with a learning disability.

 

The selected expert will be responsible for:

# Equipping the session participants with the knowledge and skills to create Easy-to-Read materials in Armenian.

# Raising awareness about the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in communication.

# Providing practical tools and guidelines for designing content that is easy to understand.

 

In particular, the expert will be responsible for:

# Developing a customised training curriculum

# Delivering engaging and interactive training sessions

# Elaborating practical guidelines’  handout for creating Easy-to-Read materials. This includes also the translation of the “European standards for making information easy to read and understand” into Armenian (see footnote 2)

 

3. Duration and Schedule

# The training is expected to be conducted online, in sessions during three days.

# The sessions will take place March-April,2024

 

4. Deliverables

# A comprehensive training curriculum tailored to the project’s needs.

# Training materials, including handouts and presentations.
#  Translation of the “European standards for making information easy to read and understand” into Armenian

# Final Report on the training (including pre-post evaluation).

 

5. Qualifications and Experience

The expert should possess:

# A good understanding of Armenian language structure and skills in simplifying complex information, using plain Armenian language.

# Demonstrated expertise in creating and delivering training on Easy-to-Read materials.

# Knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines.

# Effective communication skills

# Experience working with diverse groups and adapting content for various literacy levels and capacities.

6. Proposal Submission

Interested candidates should submit a detailed proposal outlining their approach, relevant experience (portfolio showcasing previous work in creating Easy-to-Read materials or similar content), a proposed training plan and a proposed budget. Proposals should be submitted by the 18^th of February, 2024 to Gayane Norikyan: g.norikyan@caritas.am (in cc to Elisabeth Haun: Elisabeth.Haun@caritas.tirol)

 

7. Selection Criteria

The selection of the expert will be based on:

# Relevance of experience and qualifications.

# Proposed methodology and training approach.

# Cost-effectiveness.

 

8. Timeline

# Deadline for proposal submission: 18^th of February,2024

# Evaluation of proposals: 19^th -22^nd of February,2024

#  Notification of selection: 23^rd of February,2024

# Training sessions: March-April

 

9. Point of Contact

For inquiries or clarifications, please contact Gayane Norikyan at  g.norikyan@caritas.am