In September 2023, the FSM team started the implementation of project “Firefighters. Strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian communities through the development of voluntary fire brigades”. The purpose of the project is to support the process of introduction of a cutting-edge system of civil protection at the local level, partly by creating the voluntary fire brigades (VFB) in 8 communities of Ukraine, which have been selected on the basis of an open competitive tender, and to contribute to the improvement of legislation on civil protection.
As a reminder: the creation of the VFB is a common European practice, because this model allows for quick response to fires and emergency situations even in remote settlements and does not create any extra burden on the local budget. Moreover, the creation and development of the voluntary fire brigade movement in local communities has a positive effect on the independence of these communities and raises the awareness of the responsibility for their own safety and development.
The main result of 13 months of painstaking work by the FSM team and the project participants was the creation of 8 VFB in the communities of Sumy, Chernihiv, Rivne, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Poltava regions.
As part of the “Firefighters” project, 96 firefighters underwent specialized training under the State Emergency Service program and were provided with the necessary equipment, with due account for the individual requests of each team. Throughout the project, the communities received regular organizational and legal support from Ukrainian and international experts regarding the creation and further development of the VFB.
252 settlements are currently under the protection of firefighters, which, in turn, means an improvement in the security level for over 180 thousand persons.
You can get more information about the motivation of volunteers, achievements in the first months of work, impressions of local residents, and learn about the advantages of the development of voluntary firefighting in Ukrainian communities, from our video:
We extend appreciation to the project participants, partners and experts for overcoming another step on the way to the development of the European system of civil protection in Ukraine.
The project was implemented with the financial support of the Polish Development Cooperation Partnership Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, as well as the The Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia within the framework of the 10th round of the Development Cooperation Partnership Program.
