FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RECAS - ZAGUBICA

FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RECAS - ZAGUBICA is a project that targets the main exposure the two partners confront when it comes to environmental risks. The project is focused on the measures needed to be undertaken in order to prevent such disasters, by implementing an effective strategy that will determine the present situation and identify the risk areas, a campaign to inform the inhabitants of the area and raise awareness of the environmental risks and equip with efficient tools to minimalize the damage in case of fires, floods, earthquakes, landslides, etc. by reducing the negative impact. In the project are involved two partners Recas city from the Romanian side and Zagubica municipality, from the Serbian side. The reason that this partnership was formed, is mainly because the two public entities, share a lot of resemblance, regarding the climate, the land and vegetation, protected species and habitats, culture and people’s willingness to protect the environment and because both are dealing with the same significant common challenge relating to the environment and the emergency situations. Taking this in consideration, it is imperative to considerate that through this project we will manage to overcome the border as a perceived e evisioncy situations. Taking this in consideration, it is imperativetwo public entities, share a lot of resemblan with the main objective as to enhance preparedness and awareness in order to face environmental risks and emergencies and also enabling cross-border interoperability and joint actions for innovative systems of environmental protection. The overall objective of the project is to protect our area in the cross-border region from natural disasters and also to reduce the impact in case such a disaster occurs, by enhancing awareness of the environmental risks, acting on the basis of an accurate strategy and using efficient equipment that will improve the emergency reaction and result. By implementing the project we target to reduce the uncontrolled negative impacts that the natural disasters have on our area and also to protect the environment in an efficient and safe way. The end result will be a clear mapping of the risk areas, a strategy that will allow us to intervene efficient and equipment that will both help protect the environment and the firefighters who risk their life. By implementing the project that we envision, we aim to improve the collaboration between the inhabitants of the cross border region in order to grow the capacity for emergency situations in case of natural disasters and environmental accidents. A safe and efficient procedure that deals with the natural disasters is needed in both Recas and Zagubica and in order to create it, we identified a solution in the form of a study that would determine the risks we confront and also the best strategy to act in case of natural disasters. As a result, our project would create a documented base for a significant part of the cross border area, that determines the most vulnerable areas and best procedures to be undertaken in case of natural disasters. The main beneficiaries of this Study would be the partners inhabitants and also, indirect, the cross-border region citizens who would have a clear mapping of the dangers in the area and a standard procedure in case of emergency. Another benefit of this project is the active area monitoring in the field of environmental protection and emergency management regarding the partnership area, offering the possibility for anybody to have free access to the data. Even thou the monitoring will be done differently applied for each specific region, the end results will determine an active evaluated area. The fact that the parties will be equipped with new and efficient utility vehicles and tools, will ensure safety for Recas and Zagubica residents, but also for the residents of limitrophe localities. Another result of the project will be the public information procedure which aims both public awareness and creating a connection between Recas inhabitants and Zagubicaan helping to overcome the border as a perceived be the public informationreater cooperation and contact between regions and communities on both sides of the border. The strategy which aims the preventing and eliminating the environmental threats, that our partnership has envisioned is one of collaboration and joint exploitation of resources in order to ensure a safe and clean environment. This cooperation is necessary given that both the Romanian and Serbian side faces the same problems and share the same principal characteristics (climate, vegetation, culture, etc.), so we believe that a singular effort is not enough to improve and protect our area, but is imperative that a common commitment based on a common understanding of problems, a common vision and a common set of measures is taken. Treating the issue of fire prevention and extinction we have always found that the people choose to have a neutral position or tend not to get involved because, automatically in everyone's mind, is shaping the image of risk and danger. We must understand that both Serbian partner and the Romanian have teams of volunteers (firefighters) who want to be actively involved in this issue, meaning that this problem can be treated from a different angle, that of confronting the dangerous situations with the end purpose of preventing or stopping them. Thus, this project tries to involve all people in order to ensure a safe and healthy environment. The innovative measures introduced by this project not only come in support of protecting nature, but do so in a way that promotes this value. For example, the monitoring device for air quality, humidity and temperature, are powered by renewable energy, the public information that will be done in schools, public institutions and stakeholders is intended to teach the them the value of clean environment and prevention measures using the information gathered from their own community, and also to show them how to use some tool such as using a fire extinguisher. Those are but just a few examples in which being innovative, this project will have a clear and powerful impact.

The project was focused on implementing an effective strategy that would determine the situation at that time and identify the risk areas, a campaign to inform the inhabitants of the area and raise awareness of the environmental risks and ensuring the efficient tools to minimalize the damage in case of fires, floods, earthquakes, landslides, etc. by reducing the negative impact. Two partners are involved in the project: Recas city from the Romanian side and Zagubica municipality, from the Serbian side. The reason that this partnership was formed was mainly because the two public entities share a lot of resemblance regarding the climate, the land and the vegetation, the protected species and the habitats, the culture, people’s willingness to protect the environment and because both are dealing with the same significant common challenge relating to the environment and the emergency situations. Taking this in consideration, the two public entities enhanced their preparedness and awareness in order to face environmental risks and emergencies together, enabling cross-border interoperability and joint actions for innovative systems of environmental protection. The overall objective of the project was to protect the area in the cross-border region from natural disasters and also to reduce the impact in case such a disaster occurs, by enhancing awareness of the environmental risks, acting on the basis of an accurate strategy and using efficient equipment that improves the emergency reaction and result. The end result is a clear mapping of the risk areas, a strategy that allows us to intervene efficiently and equipment that is helping to protect the environment and the firefighters who risk their lives. The aim was also to improve the collaboration between the inhabitants of the cross border region in order to grow the capacity for emergency situations in case of natural disasters and environmental accidents. A safe and efficient procedure that deals with the natural disasters was needed in both Recas and Zagubica and in order to create it, we identified a solution in the form of a study that would determine the risks we confronted with and also the best strategy to act in case of natural disasters. As a result, our project created a documented base for a significant part of the cross border area, that determines the most vulnerable areas and best procedures to be undertaken in case of natural disasters. The main beneficiaries of this Study are the partners` inhabitants and also, indirectly, the cross-border region citizens who would have a clear mapping of the dangers in the area and a standard procedure in case of emergency. Results achieved: 7 Environment monitoring devices installed. 14 Fire protection suits for members of Voluntary firefighting team procured. 40 documents/certificates attesting the training (including events costs) ensured. New and efficient equipment that was replaced with the old one, for Recas and Zagubica 1 Study elaborated. Dissemination in schools, dissemination in public institutions, to stakeholders and citizens ensured. Joint training sessions organized. Web-site: https://vatrogasci-rors40.org

1. clear determination of the risk areas and factors, mapping the most sensitive areas and creating a strategy for effective action (procedures in case of dangerous situations occurs). 2. efficient equipment suitable to act in dangerous situations in a clean and effective way. 3. cross border collaboration and interoperability for environmental protection and emergency interventions. 4. awareness of the potential environmental risks and ways to reduce them or the impact in case a unfortunate event happens. By implementing our project: - we are developing the capacity for emergency interventions using efficient tolls and well trained personnel; - and we are creating an active management in case of natural disasters and environmental accidents that will serve both partners and, at the end, the cross-border region. Specify one or more project result and describe their contribution to the programme result indicator. 1. clear determination of the risk areas and factors, mapping the most sensitive areas and creating a strategy for effective action (procedures in case of dangerous situations occurs). This project result is linked to the program result indicator PA2-RI2 creating a big contribution in regard to the management in case of natural disasters in a way that allows the partners to identify the risk areas and based on that information to create a strategy to manage the situation in case of natural disaster. A procedure will be made allowing the firemen and the citizens to work together in stress situations without being forced to waste precious time and resources. More specifically, people will be informed about the most dangerous areas in case of danger and the way they can leave that area in a safe and efficient manner. 2. efficient equipment suitable to act in dangerous situations in a clean and effective way. This project result is linked also to the program result indicator PA2-RI2 in a way that will allow the partners to gain the capacity for efficient intervention in emergency situation. Moreover, they will do so in a clean and ecofriendly manner using professional equipment (vehicle and tools). 3. cross border collaboration and interoperability for environmental protection and emergency interventions. is linked to: PA2-RI3 - Potential for cross border interoperability for environmental protection and emergency, based on shared procedures and technology. 4. awareness of the potential environmental risks and ways to reduce them or the impact in case a unfortunate event happens; is linked to: PA2-RI 1 - Awareness on the potential of environmental resources and the benefits of protection. Resident population informed on quality and quantity of environmental resources in the eligible area, and on the benefits of protection actions. We chose to treat the last two points together because they are of utmost importance to the project. We say these because those two indicator results will bind all the procedures and the parts of the project making it viable and assuring its efficiency. The mapping procedure of the area and acquisition of tools are but a step in the project, a step that must be completed by join procedures, active collaboration and of course informing the citizens of the target area of the risks, measures to be taken in preventing natural disasters and facing problems if they occur.