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Latvian, American Officials Open Renovated Fire Training Tower

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100608-29
6/8/2010

By Gunita Migliniece, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 Public Affairs

VENTSPILS, Latvia (NNS) -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 assisted Latvia's Fire and Rescue Services with the renovation of a fire training tower that opened May 26 in Ventspils, Latvia.

The renovation was made possible by the close partnership of the Latvian Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation.

The Ventspils Fire and Rescue Service Division protects approximately 45,000 people in more than 2,530 square kilometers of territory and employs 113 personnel.

The Office of Defense Cooperation via U.S. European Command's Civil Military Operations office provided $25,000 to renovate the Ventspils fire training tower. The renovation was the first time humanitarian assistance and humanitarian civic assistance funding were used to compliment each other to accomplish a humanitarian assistance project in Latvia.

A Latvian contractor teamed up with 24 Seabees from NMCB 7 to complete the project. The Seabees were in Latvia supporting preparations for exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010. The partnership will continue when another unit of Seabees arriving for BALTOPS will team up with a Latvian contractor to renovate a bathroom in a Ventspils orphanage and fix a school auditorium in the city of Liepaja.

"Our mission is to provide exercise-related construction and humanitarian civic assistance in support of BALTOPS 2010," said Ensign Li-wei Chen, Deployment for Training (DFT) Latvia officer-in-charge.

The Latvian armed forces also played an integral role in this project by assisting with logistical support for the Seabees.

"Their combined support has been a tremendous aid in assisting us with material contractors and general communications," said Chen.

The Seabees had a great experience working with the 46th Battalion of the Latvian Army National Guard.

"Having been on multiple detachments and DFTs, I think that this will be some of the best experiences the younger Seabees will have," said Chief Equipment Operator Jerry Greer, senior enlisted advisor and assistant officer-in-charge. "I'm looking forward to a safe deployment and hope the troops take back great memories of our partnership with the Latvians."

The fire training tower project is one of many disaster preparedness projects undertaken by the U.S. Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation in Latvia, in close cooperation with the Latvian government and the Latvian National Armed Forces. Projects like these are possible because of the successful relationship that the U.S. military has with its Latvian counterparts.

In addition to the training tower, 10 fire and rescue stations across Latvia, including Ventspils station, will receive renovations in the next few years at a total value of $1.9 million. The Ventspils station has been approved for renovations to replace two garage doors and reconstruct a garage. Financial support for these projects will be provided by the U.S. European Command through its Civil Military Operations programs.

NMCB 7 and its detachments are currently deployed to various locations throughout Europe and Africa as part of the battalion's regularly scheduled 2010 deployment, with the main body of the battalion operating from Camp Mitchell at Naval Station Rota, Spain.

NCMB 7 is home ported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss., home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees, and is currently a Battle "E" Seabee battalion.