Capacity building of emergency service in Ukraine (completed)

Context

Around 1.5 million Ukrainians have become internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict in the east of the country and have sought refuge in western Ukraine. Local and regional administrations have been overwhelmed by this massive influx and are unable to maintain basic public services in some parts of the country. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), which includes the fire service and disaster unit, and the Ukrainian Red Cross have been tasked with supporting the administrations. However, poor technical equipment and outdated organisational structures prevent them from doing so satisfactorily.

Objective

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) and the Ukrainian Red Cross are able to respond better to emergencies and crisis situations. This improves the situation of internally displaced persons and receiving communities in eastern Ukraine, for example in the regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia.

Approach

The project is improving skills, resources and efficiency for effective disaster risk management in the event of emergencies and crisis situations. The first step involves identifying priority requirements with regard to equipment, training and structural measures. On this basis the project sets out to:

• procure technical equipment for a quarter of all rescue workers in the crisis region;
• carry out training courses, workshops, fact-finding trips, exercises and other measures for 1,000 managers and rescue workers;
• modernise around 12 buildings, including fire stations, control centres and depots.
• Food and basic supplies are organised for 100,000 internally displaced persons.

Results

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) has already taken delivery of a large shipment of technical equipment: 1,000 respirators, 2,000 sets of protective clothing, 150 kilometres of fire hose, 60 tonnes of extinguishing foam and around 100 hydraulic rescue devices including cutters and spreaders. This has sufficed to equip around 20 per cent of rescue workers and has already significantly reduced the health risk to firefighters involved in operations in the eastern oblasts. At the same time, basic fire protection and technical aid services for internally displaced persons and the local population have improved.

The 5,000 emergency service workers in the eastern oblasts now have 12 modern all-terrain ambulances at their disposal. For around 500,000 internally displaced persons and the local population this means better access to emergency medical care. The Ukrainian Red Cross has been provided with training dummies and office equipment to strengthen and improve its performance capacity.

The distribution of essential goods to around 100,000 internally displaced persons secured their food requirements for a transitional period. Many of them are elderly people with limited mobility. Walking aids and wheelchairs have given them back a degree of mobility.