Winter safety course

Spring semester at UNIS starts with a week-long safety course which is mandatory for all students. Schedule for this week is:

Monday
- Opening of the semester / Administrative routines
- Introduction to safety, environment and issues on Svalbard
- Brief from the Governor on Svalbard (Sysselmannen)
- First aid, theoretical lessons
- Clothing; principles and use

Tuesday
- Emergency equipment, glacier
- Emergency equipment, avalanche

Wednesday
- Navigation, map/compass/gps
- Rifle handling and polar bears

Thursday
- First aid, practical training
- Lab, logistics and HSE regulations

Friday
- Forming and properties of sea ice
- Emergency equipment, camp

Saturday
- Practical training at Longyearbreen
- Written test and evaluation

Today we had lectures from 9-20:00 which for most part were repetions of the fall safety course; sufficient to say, it was a really really long day.