Integrated risk management and efficient reactions of authorities for civil safety

The common challenge of the programme area that is jointly tackling in the project called “Integrated risk management and efficient reactions of authorities for civil safety” is to develop an innovative partnership in the cross-border area in the field of early warning and emergency response, which implements a quality risk management and whose partners will have the specialized needed equipment and skills that allow them to react in one of the most important territorial problems – earthquakes – and in other emergency situations, having as aim to ensure people protection measures and create a safer region. The expected change of the project – which will be implemented in partnership by Ovidiu Municipality (from Constanta County, as Lead Beneficiary), Shabla Municipality (from Dobrich District) and Idein Devlopment Foundation (from Ruse District) is to obtain efficiency in interventions from qualitative and quantitative point of view, with efficient reaction time of authorities and creation of a safer region in the cross-border area, due to the fact that in current situation does not exist a joint partnership which reacts in emergency situations that occur in the targeted cross-border area. The main overall objective of the project is linked to the programme main objective – “to bring together the people, communities and economies of the Romania-Bulgaria border region to participate in the joint development of a cooperative area using its human, natural and environmental resources and advantages in a sustainable way”: to increase cross border cooperation in emergency prevention and intervention of authorities and to develop infrastructure and joint services to prevent natural and technological disasters, in the same time with developing the capacity to react quickly to threats to the health and integrity of citizens and goods, in order to ensure a safe area, a sustainable development and an increase in the standard of living of the population. The specific objectives of the project are: - proposal for creating a sustainable cross border partnership in the field of prevention and intervention in emergency situations involving Ovidiu and Shabla Municipalities and Idein Development Foundation. - equipping the local public authorities with specific equipment needed for a quality management of risk in the cross-border area, which will ensure efficient intervention in emergency situations. - acquisition of special equipment for cross border alerting of population in emergencies such as earthquakes, fires and developing joint hazard maps. - organizing training and best practice examples. - dissemination of information to ensure the increase of public awareness with regard to the protection measures in emergency situation. Through the specific objectives of the project, the risk management will be considerably improved to create a safer cross-border area, the project including both emergency prevention actions and interventions in saving human lives, material assets and infrastructure affected by natural and antrophic disaster, by acquiring specific equipment and training for specialized teams. The achievement of the specific objectives of the project and the results will lead to the specific objective of Priority Axis 3 "a safe area", namely "to improve joint risk management in the cross-border area" and will contribute to achieving the programme result indicator “the quality of the joint risk management in the CBC area”. The project main results are: -A sustainable and efficient cross-border partnership specialized in the field of prevention and intervention needed in emergency situation, which will have a massive contribution to creation of a safer region. -Ovidiu Municipality and Shabla Municipality will be equipped with special equipment such as firetruck, special vehicle for intervention in floods and snow storms. -Both municipalities will have joint hazard maps and joint alerting system for emergency situations as earthquakes. -Raised awareness regarding protection measures in emergencies. -Specific promotion. The population from Shabla and Ovidiu (around 20.000 inhabitants), sick people, isolated persons, emergency staff, cross-border communities and local authorities will benefit from the main outputs produced by project, such as a joint and efficient partnership which will act in the field of early warning and emergency response, special equipment for emergencies (e.g. ambulance for sick people, firetruck for fires and floods for Ovidiu Municipality, special vehicle for intervention in blocked roads caused by snow and floods for Shabla Municipality, integrated hazard maps and alerting system for both municipalities). The project will cover both prevention and intervention type of activities, involving, beside specialized equipment and concentrating joint efforts in interventions in the risk management area, the dissemination of information materials and informational training by emergency teams in schools, for raising awareness regarding protection measures in emergencies. The approach of the project comes from the local and regional identified problems and needs and it is an integrated one, based on equipping the border region with specialized equipment that will be used in common by both municipalities as needed and implementing integrated hazard maps and alerting system. The project cross-border approach is needed because the main problem of Shabla – earthquakes – affects directly Ovidiu also and produce damages in both border region. The third partner, Idein, will ensure the cross-border approach, by developing common hazard maps for both regions and organizing joint training for teams from both municipalities, which will be trained together as a whole team for being able to have common interventions in the cross-border area during emergencies, this being an original approach. Also, this partnership represents a new and original element in the cross-border area by holding together, for the first time human, natural, economic resources and communities from the partner areas and, for the first time, having as action area a region that was uncovered from the point of view of prevention and intervention activities in emergency situations. The cross-border approach of the project is also demonstrated by having joint staff, joint development, joint financial and joint management. Also, the project`s budget, which is 990.639,35 E, will be divided in a balanced way between partners and it will be balanced divided regarding activities that reach the programme outputs and indicator. This cross-border project cross-border will improve the effectiveness of risk management in involved regions (Constanta County, through Ovidiu, and Dobrich District, through Shabla), that will ultimately result in better protection of citizens and the environment, and reduction of damage.

The Project Implementation has been finalized on 31.10.2020; The following main achievements have been reported so far: - 2 press conferences have been held, in Calafat on 25.09.2018 and in Vidin on 11.10.2018; - The project website has been elaborated:http://dragonboats.eu/bg/ ; - All the equipment foreseen for the Creation of technical capacity on behalf of LB have been delivered: a cargo van, 2 dragon boats, trailer for dragon boats, safety boat with trailer, floating dock, 40 life vests and the media equipment (wireless microphones, speakers, go pro camera, etc.) - B2 have received 40 rows, 40 life vests, a drone and a sound system; - 9 out of 10 alternative tourism seminars have been organized, promoting the upcoming events and coordinating the creation of a management plan for valorisation of water tourism: Five in Bulgaria 1. in Lom on 12.06.2019 with 44 participants; 2. in Oryahovo on 14.06.2019 with 41 participants; 3. in Ruse on 18.06.2019 with 44 participants; 4. in Sviston on 20.06.2019 with 40 participants; 5. in Vidin on 25.06.2019 with 41 participants; Three in Romania 1. in Drobeta Turnu Severin 02.07.2019 with 41 participants; 2. in Turnu Magurele on 06.07.2019 with 40 participants; 3. in Giurgiu on 08.07.2019 with 41 participants; 4. in Calafat on 22.10.2019 with 40 participants; - The Dragon triathlon has been organized on 27-28 July 2019, with 80 participants, promoting the project and the unique nature of the Rabisha lake,situated close to the Magura cave in Bulgaria; - A rowing simulator has been delivered to B3 and 5 out of 6 rowing simulation events with the help of the rowing simulator have been organized: Three in Bulgaria 1. in Vratsa on 30.06.2019 with 62 participants; 2. in Pleven on 13.07.2019 with 58 participants; 3. in Veliko Tarnovo on 20.07.2019 with 59 participants; Two in Romania 1. in Drobeta Turnu Severin on 03.07.2019 with 52 participants; 2. in Craiova with 58 participants; - 1 mini dragon boat marathon has been organised in Orsova on 27-28 October, 2019 with 80 participants; - 6 out of 10 ”Dragon boats” Festivals have been organised within the reported period as it follows: 1. in Lom on 5-6 September, 2019 with 80 participants; 2. in Oryahovo on 7-8 September, 2019 with 81 participants; 3. in Vidin on 25-26 October, 2019 with 94 participants; 4. in Calafat on 27-28 October, 2019 with 76 participants; 5. in Svishtov on 24-25 July, 2020 with 83 participants; 6. in Turnu Magurele on 26-27 July, 2020 with more than a 100 participants; - A 50 minute ‘Dragon boats’ Movie have been elaborated and delivered in a digital version and on 500 DVD copies and can be found on http://dragonboats.eu/en/promotion/ , while the DVD copies have been disseminated during the events organized within the project;

The main results of the project “Integrated risk management and efficient reactions of authorities for civil safety” will contribute to the main programme result indicator – the quality of the joint risk management in the CBC area, as all project`s specific objectives and activities are integrated to solve the main problem of the cross-border area in the field of emergency situation: the safety of civil, in order to create a safer region and citizens to feel protected. Through the project will be created an efficient and sustainable cross-border partnership, formed by two municipalities which will be equipped with specific equipment to ensure well done prevention and intervention activities in the field of emergency situation and by one specialized NGO in the field of supporting authorities, helping them to implement policies and strategies, to cooperate cross-border and to interact better with the society. The entire partnership will add value in the cross-border region and will represent an opportunity for developing further efficient partnerships in the same field. As another project result, Ovidiu and Shabla local public authorities, through the project, will be equipped with special equipment that will ensure efficient reactions in natural and anthropic hazards and will lead to more lives saved and an increased protection of the residents. Some of the bought equipment will provide efficient and safe intervention in floods and forest fire, such as the firetruck, which will be used together with a civil team equipped with full equipment for intervention and trained in the cross-border training. Also, it will be buy a multi-functional equipment which will help to deal more easily with unforeseen situations and will help to prevent or reduce the consequences of disasters, especially in snow storms and floods. The multi-purpose all-wheel drive medium truck will help to improve the joint risk management in the cross-border area and will contribute to create a safer region. The equipment will be borrowed between municipalities, when is needed, to save people lives and to ensure a quality joint risk management in the CBC area. Equipment to be acquired through this project complete the real needs of the cross-border area and lay the bases for an interstate and inter-institutional quality partnership, effectively thought from the prevention stage to the intervention stage. Other project results that contribute to achieving the programme result indicator are that the municipalities will have integrated alarming system and common hazard maps, which will lead to a good coordination in the cross-border area and a mutual help in emergency situation, which will increase the number of saved lives and will ensure the life and health of the population and its protection in the event of disasters. At the same time, the project will include joint training of volunteer teams for emergency situations, which raises considerably the degree of population satisfaction, the Romanian and Bulgarian volunteer teams forming a cross-border unitary force, which will have the necessary training to act jointly in emergencies occurring on the territory of the two municipalities, thus raising the inter-institutional and interstate barriers regarding the response in risk situations. The partnership will act in the field of joint early warning through the development and dissemination of information materials among the population to provide them with comprehensive information on common territorial problems caused by natural and anthropic disasters, and information on measures to be taken by citizens to defend themselves in emergencies until the authorities have rescued them. Along the multiple emergency situations commands organized within the two municipalities it was noticed that the loss of human lives and material damage could have been diminished if the population were conscious and if they knew how to react. At the same time, by properly informing the population, the panic that is created among citizens in crisis situations, which prevents them from acting correctly, will decrease. At the same time, through the information materials, the action strategy of the cross-border authorities in various emergency situations will be known, so that the population knows what steps to follow and can be prepared for public interventions. All the activities to be implemented within this project are designed to ensure efficient and integrated risk management in the cross-border area and to increase the level of population satisfaction, being the main beneficiary of the project, and aprox. 14,000 inhabitants of the Ovidiu Municipality, together with aprox. 6,000 inhabitants of Shabla, will be better defended in emergency situations caused by fires, floods, earthquakes and snowstorms. The project will increase the level of satisfaction of the inhabitants, ensures the economic joint development in the cross-border area, by connecting communities with their natural and environmental resources, granting a solid added-value in the sustainability period.