Trauma Risk Management – TRiM – in Kosovo

Between the 9-12 of January 2019 we deployed two highly experienced Trauma Risk Management -TRiM trainers to Kosovo. Our brief was to provide the Kosovo Security Forces-(KSF) with a TRiM capability in order to support their personnel in dealing with traumatic events. Specifically, our students were officers and Non-Commissioned Officers from the KSF Search and Rescue Centre. These experienced soldiers have specialities in diving, urban, rural and mountain rescue and we were joined by staff from the medical and CBRN companies of the KSF Civil Protection Regiment.

The training was conducted in English and most students had an excellent command of English vocabulary; our instructors even picked up a little Albanian from them. The Kosovo Search and Rescue Training Centre Director, Mr John Doone had identified that his soldiers were frequently exposed to trauma during search and rescue operations and he wanted to enhance force protection.

We were able to guide the students through the fundamentals of trauma risk management, how to identify colleagues in distress and how to ensure that they are managed through peer support and psychological first aid. On 12 Sept our second course was visited by the UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Mr Nicholas Abbot. The Ambassador revealed to the impressed KSF course that he was also a qualified TRiM practitioner.

After four days of intensive training (and a very special England V Kosovo football match) we qualified 24 enthusiastic and motivated KSF soldiers. We are very proud to have been able to work with the KSF to build this important capability and we left Pristina having made some good friends and with a very rewarding experience under our belts. We very much hope to return to Kosovo and its wonderful people.

If your staff are involved in unpleasant or traumatic events even occasionally, you should speak to us about getting a TRiM team trained.  Trauma Risk Management will support your staff, reduce the stigma around mental health, improve long term sickness absence, and show ‘duty of care’ after an incident.  Your staff are worth every minute of training time.