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8 August 2024
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Assisting the brave: EU's largest-ever civil protection operation strengthens Ukrainian rescue and fire services
A firefighter rolling up a fire hose in front of a building
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View of containers in a warehouse while a man is looking at them. These containers, donated by Poland, are filled with a special foaming agent, which is used by Ukrainian firefighters
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In any emergency, rescue workers and firefighters are the first to arrive, ready to help, protect and save lives, despite any challenges. They are heroes in every country. When their nation is at war, their daily work takes a whole new level: saving lives where death and destruction often leave nothing behind.
This is the harsh reality for the personnel of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU). For over two and a half years, they have been heroically fighting the flames of the bloodiest war in Europe since the Second World War. They extinguish fires from aerial attacks, rescue people buried under concrete rubble, or clear streets, fields and children's bedrooms of mines and booby traps. Often at the cost of their own lives.
Given the critical importance of their work in addressing the aftermath of Russia’s attacks, emergency teams across Ukraine are among the main recipients of assistance coming into the country through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The machinery and protective equipment provided both by Member States and from the strategic stockpiles enhance the rescuers’ ability to respond to the challenges of war and to save lives, even in situations where hope often seems almost lost.
The aid delivered via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism arrives at a central hub in Ukraine. Once processed by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, it is distributed to the regions most in need.
The hub also stores a number of generators and transformers, provided by EU countries to help Ukraine cope with increasingly widespread power outages.
Tools like metal detectors and protective gear are essential for SESU pyrotechnic units in both western regions of the country hit by missile attacks and liberated frontline areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance and landmines.
The EU aid for Ukrainian firefighters and rescuers also includes a wide variety of firefighting trucks. For instance, these smaller types of vehicles are optimal for operating in towns and cities that historically have narrow streets with limited access to many residential areas.
Machinery like tipper trucks and bulldozers, used for clearing the rubble, are an integral part of rescue operations in locations hit by Russian strikes.
During these operations, rescuers and firefighters have their ambulances on standby. The use of ‘double-tap strikes’, which target the rescuers who have rushed to assist people hit by missiles, makes it crucial to have immediate medical support on-site.
Every SESU station is equipped with a generator to keep it running during power cuts. These stations often serve as 'Invincibility Points' for civilians, where people can charge their phones and laptops, spend time working or simply rest.
The emergency assistance provided through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism remains crucial for Ukraine's resilience and resistance. In the hands of Ukrainian rescuers and firefighters, it is truly life-saving.
Photos: © State Emergency Service of Ukraine, 2024
Source: European Union (EU)
Firefighters fighting a fire. Such foam is crucial for extinguishing particularly complex fires at the fuel and energy sites regularly targeted by Russia.
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A pile of fire hoses. Given the scale and frequency of firefighting operations in Ukraine, fire hoses wear out extremely quickly, making these donations vital for the first responders.
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A firefighting truck
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A firefighting truck
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Two generators standing outside
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An aid worker holding up a protection suit in the warehouse. The threat of chemical disasters prompted the EU to deploy its strategic rescEU reserves, providing special chemical protection suits to boost Ukraine’s preparedness.
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Protective gear and other tools laying on wooden desks.
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Group of people standing around tipper trucks and bulldozers
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Close up of the front of an ambulance
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Two aid workers standing in front of a generator
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An aid worker wearing a vest with the EU flag, seen from the back, looking upon a mural depicting a firefighter
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