Today, this Wednesday April 15, 2009, as part of the joint commemorations marking the XXXth Anniversary of 1979 Earthquake in Montenegro and on the occasion of the port visit to Bar of the U.S. Navy frigate USS KLAKRING FFG42, the American Ambassador in Podgorica, H.E. Mr. Roderick W. Moore, presented in the name of the U.S. Military’s European Command (USEUCOM) a donation of individual spray devices to combat forest fires to fully equip fire-fighters of the Municipality of Bar.

On behalf of the local government of Bar, the donation was presented to and accepted by Mrs. Branka Nikezić (DPS), President of the Municipal Assembly, who expressed his heart-felt gratitude for this valuable gift to benefit the entire community. Subsequently, Bar’s fire-fighters carried out a rescue demonstration for their foreign guests, before being joined by members of the Navy of Montenegro and by U.S. sailors from the USS KLAKRING for a friendly competition of table tennis, billiards and chess that ended the event.

At the same time in Ulcinj, Ambassador Moore’s deputy, Mr. Stephen L. Kontos, presented at the Health Centre another donation provided by the U.S. Military’s European Command, consisting of EKG monitors, defibrillators and other related medical equipment with a total value of $25,170.

During a formal ribbon cutting ceremony, the donation was presented to and accepted by the city’s Mayor, Mr. Gzim Hajdinaga (DUA), who praised in his thanking remarks the sincere friendship which links the American people to Ulcinj, notably referring to the fruitful exchange program of medical knowledge and skills involving for two years now the Health Centre and volunteer doctors and nurses from the Jacobi Medical Center and the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, NY. On the occasion, Mayor Hajdinaga warmly thanked Dr. Robert B. Bristow, Emergency Physician at the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, and Dr. Evia A. Nano, Family Practice Physician, Associate Director of the Illyria Family Practice Center at the Jacobi Medical Center, both present at the donation ceremony.
According to this exchange program, volunteers are sent to Montenegro by pair, for a period of two to four weeks during the summer, with a specific plan for what they wish to teach and accomplish, passing along valuable skills and techniques for treatment to their Montenegrin counterparts.

Commenting on the exchange program, Dr. Nano indicated that “Ulcinj was chosen because many of the patients at Jacobi and Columbia-Presbyterian go over there for the summer or vacation,” adding that Summer 2009 courses will be held on handling major emergencies, with specific training in disaster management. She also explained that the program will be focused next year on training their Montenegrin counterparts on how to safely and efficiently transfer patients — a common occurrence for patients admitted in Ulcinj out of which many of them are transferred to the larger hospital in Bar, especially during the summer months when the town population significantly increases from tourism.

Ending the event in the city, U.S. sailors from the USS KLAKRING subsequently paid a friendly visit to the local private High School “Drita”, and had a meeting with retired ship captains in Ulcinj.