Middle East Training for Contract Resources Jul-Sep 2022­­­

"An inert entry rescuer course was developed by VHNZ owner Bruce Mazengarb for a client, Contract Resources, (CR) in the early days of Vertical Horizonz, initially operating in NZ, Australia & Abu Dhabi. In recent years most of CR’s work has been in the Middle East, mainly Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman & Kuwait. Trainer Mike Felton conducted training for them in Abu Dhabi and Qatar at the end of 2021 and early 2022. I was also fortunate enough to train in the Middle East from 24 July to 18 September, training 132 students as follows:

 
Abu Dhabi         -      1-20 Aug, 4 x 3-day refresher courses & a full 6-day course

Qatar                -      22-27 Aug, 2 x 3-day refresher courses

Abu Dhabi         -      29-31 Aug, a 3-day refresher course

Kuwait              -      2-18 Sep, 2 x full 6-day courses, a 3-day refresher & a half day client

Saudi Arabia      -      24-29 Sep, 2 x 3-day refresher courses

The training was challenging but very enjoyable. The training facilities were great, however the outdoor weather conditions were very hot with temperatures varying between 39-51 degrees celsius where the humidity was just crazy sticky. The client personnel were extremely accommodating looking after me well with great accommodation facilities. I lost 5 kg in the first week then plateaued as they spoilt me with the local cuisines in each country!

The students were attentive, enthusiastic and always on time. The practical training facilities were great in all countries where we conducted this portion of the training early in the day to avoid working in the heat. CR provided me a full-time translator who just happened to have inert experience; this proved to be my biggest asset during the training as 95% of the students were of Indian decent & Ullas (translator) was able to explain teaching points and debrief in their language, which made any apprehension of the theory a lot easier for them. It also allowed a lot more constructive feedback from them and vice versa. I started to pick up on key words & phrases after a while and was able to converse a little bit better as time went on.

It was interesting to understand the different cultures over that side of the world and see how they tick! All driving was on the left-hand side of the road, including drivers’ sides of vehicles. The speed limits were crazy as well being able to cruise at 160km/h on some highways. You would be cruising at this speed and other vehicles would be screaming past you, it was awesome! 

The extremely wealthy certainly live well over there; The majority of Arabic families have housemaids who not only do all the housework but raise the children. For every 2 children they have a maid... eye opening! And the shopping is crazy, a woman’s paradise just quietly! I got to see 5 of the stadiums built for the FIFA world cup being held in Qatar later this year, they were amazing. We drove past them each day between the accommodation and CR training facility. The restaurants were reasonably inexpensive compared to NZ, so it was rude not to frequent such establishments on a regular basis!

The experience was certainly great, but at the same time it was nice to get home to Godzone and of course my darling wife!"


Below images from left to right: 
Collage of training drills, trainee teams and theory sessions with Contract Resources; Actual reactors CR enter in Kuwait (we train them to rescue out from the top); Kai with Qatar whanau

       

Below images from left to right:
Team photo after refresher course in Qatar; KIPIC Clients with myself and CR staff after VH presentation; Farewell from Dubai