U-LEAD’s civil protection and fire safety experts held an info session for municipality specialist officials on “Building Local Fire Protection”. The event reaffirmed the readiness to create safe conditions in the municipality and the ability to manage and respond to risks as a priority for local authorities in wartime.
“1,175 fire and rescue units (FRU) with about 9,600 employees have been created in Ukraine to ensure local and volunteer fire protection. According to the estimates, this is only 60% of the required amount. We need to create at least 700 more and ensure their proper operation,” said Olena Tertyshna, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Chair of the Working Group on Security Issues.
The speakers of the info session presented the step-by-step procedure for creating an FRU at the local fire department (LFD) and explained which administrative documents are required by the local self-government body for its organisation and implementation.
The speakers suggest starting the establishment of the LFD with the creation of a working group under the local self-government body. For greater efficiency, organise the activities of this working group in close cooperation with the relevant territorial unit of the State Emergency Service.
Expert advice also covered the specific aspects of the structure and format of the LFD, the involvement of volunteers and development prospects. The event also focused on financing the fire brigade, seeking additional sources of support and inter-municipal cooperation, as well as communication with the main Department of State Emergency Service.
In particular, the local self-government officials learned how to establish communication channels, determine the procedure for alerting and mutual notification about emergencies and draw up the Plan for Involvement of Civil Defence Forces and Means in Emergency Response and agree it with all the parties concerned.
According to experts, creating a fire brigade in a municipality can take from several months to years. There are, however, municipalities where it was organised in 23 hours, as it was a matter of survival and safety of the residents of Kushuhum, a municipality located next to the front line.
Denys Linhur, Head of the Fire and Rescue Unit of the Local Fire Department of the Kushuhum municipality, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, shared his experience:
“We created a volunteer fire brigade within 23 hours of the decision. We repaired the old fire engine that had been in use in the municipality, furnished the premises for shifts, gathered motivated volunteers whose families live in the municipality, established contact with the Main Department of State Emergency Services in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, started shifts and extinguished the first fire already on the first day.”
He spoke about continuous volunteer shifts over a year and a half. During that time, it became clear that the municipality needed its own local fire department (LFD) financed and maintained from the budget of the settlement council.
The council meeting adopted a decision to create an LFD unit. The settlement council allocated premises to set up a lounge, a control office and a depot for fire engines. The LFD team underwent training at the Maine Department of State Emergency Service of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. They learned to respond to emergencies and provide first aid.
The fleet for the local fire department was collected from everywhere.
“We received another tank truck from the Regional Department of the State Emergency Service, the settlement council gave us an SUV and a dropside truck. We repaired and restored all our vehicles on our own,” said Denys Linhur.
As he added, the available vehicles enable the municipality to deliver humanitarian aid and water. Because of the shelling, there is no water supply in villages and towns, so the issue of water delivery is pressing. In addition, two fire engines enable prompt fire response.
“The LFD team is committed to raising public awareness: they talk about what to do during shelling, teach first aid, conduct environmental activities for children and clean up parks,” said Denys Linhur.
Olena Tertyshna summarised the info session as follows:
“Creating local and volunteer fire brigades enables municipalities to exercise their powers to protect people from natural, man-made and war-related emergencies, to ensure adequate fire safety, to provide residents with proper services to preserve their lives and health and to reduce possible property damage.”
During the info session, experts answered the most frequently asked questions about the creation of the fire and rescue units of the local and state fire departments. Among other things, the event focused on financing and logistical support, staff training and draft reservations.