Uzbekistan delegation learns from Mississippi emergency responders

PEARL — Members of the Uzbekistan Ministry of Defense and National Guard are taking part in a weeklong tactical exchange through the Mississippi National Guard’s State Partnership Program.

The program is a National Guard Bureau effort that pairs individual state National Guards with foreign countries. Mississippi has partnered with Bolivia since 1999 and Uzbekistan since 2012.

Lt. Col. Amanda Villaret, Mississippi National Guard state partnership director, said the group toured the Mississippi State Fire Academy in Pearl on Wednesday to learn how the state structures and administers its fire academy as Uzbekistan develops its own.

The Mississippi State Fire Academy says it trains about 15,000 students each year and offers more than 90 courses. Fire academy instructor chief Marcus Collier said the group observed airport firefighter refresher training, trench rescue training and basic firefighter recruits conducting three-dimensional flammable liquid fire training during their visit.

The visitors also observed other state emergency-response operations, including building-collapse search and rescue training in Philadelphia and backcountry rescue training. They will also observe high-rise rescue and public safety and order training during the week.