The large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian Federation forces in February 2022 caused widespread destruction of major urban centers in the North, East, and South of the country. The oblasts located further away from active conflict saw millions of displaced persons move through or settle in their territories looking for safety, as disruptions to social services, damage to critical infrastructure, destruction of civilian residences, and shortages of food, water and medal care left the cities and towns they fled almost uninhabitable.
The scale of the invasion generated civil protection and emergency response challenges that have stretched authorities and first responders to breaking point.
With the financial support from the European Union, Acted together with IMPACT Initiatives and Ukrainian NGO Right to Protection, have worked closely with local authorities, their civil protection departments, State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and social institutions since July 2022 to deliver targeted capacity building and technical support, reinforced by donations of critical equipment and supplies.
SESU is responding to the consequences of military hostilities, such as missile and drone attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Thanks to their work hundreds of Ukrainians have been saved.
However, the number of emergencies in which SESU is involved increased exponentially as the war drags on.
To help the SESU units respond to the crises to the best of their abilities, Acted provided a large shipment of special equipment, such as pneumatic frame modules (inflatable tents), firefighter protective suits, boots, gloves, helmets, fire hoses, backpacks, laptops, and others.
It is much easier and faster to erect a pneumatic frame module than traditional metal ones. The tent can be deployed in a matter of minutes at any location using a special pump. The speed of installation ensures a more efficient response of personnel during disaster relief, accidents, emergencies, or natural disasters. Thank you for your assistance! Such support is especially important for the protection of civilians.
In addition, after 24 February 2022, the need for first aid trainings, especially for rescuers and firefighters, who help people during emergencies, increased significantly. That is why Acted delivered 14 first aid trainings to SESU personnel, civil protection public servants and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) representatives in Chernihiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro oblasts since the beginning of the project implementation. The rescuers learned how to distinguish between injuries and conduct a quick local and trauma examination of victims. Using the simulators adapted to real-life conditions, the rescuers mastered the skills of stopping critical bleeding, clearing the airway, administering oxygen, applying various types of tourniquets, bandages, neck collars, and methods of transporting the victims using various stretchers from the scene of an emergency when access to emergency medical teams is impossible.
As a result, thanks to the financial support of the European Union, the capacity of first responders in Dnipro, Odesa, Chernihiv, and Vinnytsia oblasts to respond effectively to emergencies was improved.