Between 23 and 25 November 2024, the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) project EMT TTT, hosted at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), closed the year 2024 activities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Under heavy rains yet high spirits, an “EMT Readiness Training” was implemented as a joint Twinning activity between the EMT of Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC) in Indonesia and the WHO classified German EMT International Search and Rescue (ISAR Germany). It was supported by the team of the EMT National Focal Point (EMT NFP) at RKI.

The EMT organisation MDMC is currently in the official WHO process towards becoming certified as a quality-assured International EMT for emergency deployments. Since 2020, a Twinning partnership between MDMC and ISAR Germany was established, hosted at RKI under the umbrella of the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP). It aims at a peer-to-peer support to the MDMC classification journey and a mutual learning experience for both EMTs. This activity was implemented as part of MDMC’s priorities to train all their EMT pool members in setting up, managing and dismantling their logistical setup during deployment, as a key preparational component towards WHO classification. Two experts from ISAR, who had themselves gone through the WHO classification process, joined the activity together with one member from the EMT NFP team. Representatives from Ministry of Health of Indonesia and WHO Country Office also joined onsite. The training consisted of two intensive days, conducted twice to target all 84 MDMC pool members in two cohorts.

Day one started with a brief introduction indoors to review together the training plan for the coming two days. In the following hours, already at the training site, MDMC EMT assigned a team lead to coordinate the EMT camp establishment, and gradually the EMT tents were set up and storage boxes were emptied, ending the day with the EMT facilities installed in the field. The next day started directly on-site. The MDMC EMT members were organized in five groups to start a rotation across all EMT departments, including electricity, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), triage, management and treatment tents. Each of those stations was guided by an MDMC expert in the respective area, who explained to each rotating group the specification of the EMT tent, its function and equipment. ISAR experts also joined the rotation process sharing their advice and experiences and learning from the MDMC EMT context. By the end of the rotation, each group was handed scenario questions, developed by ISAR and MDMC experts, addressing each of the EMT department, to discuss in groups solutions and present them later to everyone.

After vibrant presentations and exchanges, it was time to dismantle the EMT tents and store back all equipment in boxes. The last evening ended with a joint discussion on lessons learnt from the two days training, answering together "What worked well in this EMT logistical setup and what can be improved?". ISAR also shared their technical and operational feedback in support of MDMC’s EMT classification process. What was clear is that the mixed and diverse level of experiences among the EMT MDMC members was an added value to the learning experience, along the participation of ISAR members as another resource of expertise in the EMT deployment. After the training, the participants reported an increase in their preparedness for an international EMT deployment. However, one thing remained the same from beginning till end, which is the high spirit of the participants expressed in their voices singing their MDMC EMT song, a song that the participants from ISAR and RKI made sure to learn and sing together before heading back home.