Fight it Together - cross-border cooperation in the field of risk prevention and management

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Romania Serbia

Date of latest update: 2025-03-18

Description

Description (EN):

The most important challenge of our project area is, that we are talking about smaller settlements with poor facilitates and public services comparing to urban localities. It is a demonstrated fact, that these localities are less safe against disasters. Valcani is one of the most marginal settlements of Timis County, being a border locality, having even a border crossing point. On the other side of the border, Novi Knezevac is also very close to both Romanian and Hungarian border. In crucial moments, like accidents and fire disasters, every minute counts, so if we have well trained and properly equipped volunteers in rural settlements and smaller towns too, it can save lives. According the statistic elaborated by the Romanian General Inspectorate for disasters in the period 2020-2022, the number of house hold fires remains the same but there is an increase in the number of disasters related to climate change (storms, floods, vegetation fire). The current partnership, through the implementation of the project, will fight against these impediments, by reaching the following specific objectives: risk prevention and awareness raising campaign at the level of the population, with specific specific emphasis on older generation and children, organizing theoretically and joint practical exercises for volunteer fire fighters; by procuring professional equipment for both unit and rehabilitation of fire station in Valcani; by elaborating a bilateral protocol for joint cross-border risk prevention and intervention. We have in plan a multi-level improvement, focusing on the preparedness of this region by improving the infrastructure of the disaster management units and by elaborating and developing a training session with joint practical exercises for the two units existing in the involved region - in Valcani and Novi Knezevac. In this way with proper equipment and infrastructure and properly trained volunteers we are improving the existing quality of risk prevention in this region. Not the last, the partners will elaborate a joint disaster management and intervention protocol in order to improve the collaboration and even the quality of the cross-border interventions. By means of our project, the involved volunteer firefighter units, having efficient equipment , having well trained members, having a strong collaboration with the professional units, having an elaborated material regarding joint intervention protocols, we are majorly improving the disaster and risk management in the involved localities, which is conducting to an improved cross-border disaster and risk management. Our projects main deliverables: 1 renovated disaster management building, 2 small equipped quick intervention vehicle equipped with necessary equipment, protective equipment for 10 persons; 1 power generator, 30 trained volunteers; 200 firefighters participating in international competition; 1200 persons living in 800 households involved in the door-to-door awareness raising campaign; 100 children and 75 parents/grandparents involved in the awareness raising campaign, elaborated protocol of the involved volunteer firefighter units for joint risk prevention and joint intervention. In this way the project partners ensure to have well-trained volunteer fire fighters, who has access to professional tools and equipment crucially needed in case of disasters, using not only the equipment, but also the priceless know-how regarding behaviour, action plan and best procedures in case of risks. The results of our project will majorly contribute to the improvement of the joint risk management and contributes to the Programmes objectives by safeguarding a population of over 10.000 persons. The cross border approach is needed mainly because disasters are not stopped by borders. Because the small distance between the two localities makes very effective the cooperation between the two disaster management unit. For Valcani, because its location the cooperation with nearby Serbian cities is vital and can lead to increase of the safety of the population. Also it is very important that the unit from Novi Knezevac has more experience and can have a beneficial effect on the unit from Valcani. An original aspect of our project is that we are pointing expressly the weakest points of this area, we proposed to act there where the statistics of disasters are higher. For this reason, after consulting the relevant statistics (the horrifying high number of victims aged under 6 years old and over the age of 70), we decided to dedicate a special awareness raising campaign in each of the involved localities for women, mothers of infants or kindergarten pupils, to point the basic risk factors in a household for little children and to teach them the basic first aid technics, also we will have a direct awareness raising campaign for older persons.

Expected Achievements (EN): Improving joint preparedness in emergency situations in Valcani and Novi Knezevac region

Project outputs: Members of the volunteer emergency management units from Valcani and Novi Knezevac(EN)
Emergency management units cooperating across borders(EN)

Thematic information

Managing natural and man-made threats, risk management Education and training Cooperation between emergency services

Priority: (VI-A_RO-SR_1) Environmental protection and risk management

Priority specific objective: RSO2.4. Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 059 Adaptation to climate change measures and prevention and management of climate related risks: fires (including awareness raising, civil protection and disaster management systems, infrastructures and ecosystem based approaches)

Partners (2)

Lead Partner: Comuna Valcani

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 883297327

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 17513000

Address: 307153 Valcani, Romania

Department address: Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.valcani.ro

Total budget: EUR 582 051.95

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 494 744.15

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 87 307.80

Opština Novi Kneževac

Name: Opština Novi Kneževac

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 938537081

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 101460424

Address: Kralja Petra I Karadjordjevica , 23330 Novi Knezevac, Serbia

Department address: Serbia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.noviknezevac.rs

Total budget: EUR 221 811.53

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 188 539.80

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 33 271.73

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Fight it Together - cross-border cooperation in the field of risk prevention and management

Project acronym: FiT

Project ID: RORS00123

Project start date: 2024-12-03

Project end date: 2026-06-02

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

"Community Opposition of Disastrous Events" (CODE) financed by Interreg V-A Romania-Bulgaria Programme. (EN) | We will build on its best practices regarding their initiatives to increase local capacity in rural areas of Romania-Bulgaria border region for disasters’ prevention and mitigation trough development of extended volunteer units and their better preparation. (EN), "BE PREPARED! Confronting disaster and natural calamities together" registration no. HURO/0901/093/2.4.2. financed by Interreg Romania-Hungary Programme (EN) | We will build on the best practices of this project regarding support materials, and their elaborated material focusing on prevention and reaction cross border strategy. (EN), PREPARED "Cross-border natural disaster and emergency preparedness" RORS-324 financed by Interreg IPA CBC Romania-Serbia Programme (EN) | We have built on the awareness raising campaign organised through that project, on the developed events and promotional materials. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 803 863.48

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 683 283.95

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 85.00%

Co-financing sources:

IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 683 283.95. Co-financing rate, 85.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Infrastructure investments:

I1.1 - Renovation of emergency situation building - EUR 331 804.68 - country: România (RO), town: Valcani, street: -, 283, postal_code: 307153, Vest (RO42), Timiş (RO424)

Deliverables:

Number of households directly visited through the campaign
Number of children participating at awareness raising event
Activity book
Number of prepared parents
Number of trained volunteers from Valcani
Number of trained volunteers from Novi Knezevac
Joint exercises
Competition
Joint protocol and action plan
Technical documentation
Renovated disaster management building
Vehicles
Protective equipment
Furniture and equipment for the station
High capacity energy generator
Press conferences
Promotional materials
Brochures
Digital activities
Press releases
Press article

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyDanubeRegion Our project contributes to the EUSDR in a multiple way to pillar B, C and D.
Our project is in line with the Priority Area 05 "To Manage Environmental Risks" Pillar B "Protecting the environment in the Danube Region". The project contributes by awareness raising and investment to the disaster management including prevention, preparedness and response.
Our project is in line with Priority Area 09 “Investing in People and Skills” Pillar C, of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region promote social inclusion through regional co-operation networks and initiatives. By means of our project we organize training session for 25 volunteer firefighter from the region.
Also our project is in line with Priority Area 10 "To Step Up Institutional Capacity and Cooperation" Pillar D of EUSDR. The project contributes to this priority area by strengthening the cooperation between two local public authority and by the subordinated disaster management units.
TerritorialAgenda2030 Our project will contribute to the Integration Beyond Borders priority. The cooperation between the two public authority will encourage the cooperation at the level of the population and other organizations. The joint protocol and action plan also will help to strengthen the cooperation in the field of disaster management and prevention.
EuropeanGreenDeal In the frame of the project we will renovate the disaster management unit building in Valcani. Through the renovation we will use modern methods to develop a energy efficient building (efficient isolation, efficient electrical and thermal system, installation of solar panels). The renovation will contribute to the priority regarding renovated, energy efficient buildings.
Other Our project is in line with Romania’s Development Strategy for the Vest Region. Especially with the Intervention IV.1.4 Cooperation in the domain of health and security; Operation IV.1.4.3 Creating a joint intervention mechanism in emergency situations –by means of the project we will elaborate a joint protocol especially for these situations. We will have our contribution also to the operation IV.2.1.2. Supporting training courses and exchanges of experience between similar institutions under public administrations –achieving through training sessions for local volunteer fire-fighters. Our project is also in line with Romania’s Strengthening and Development Strategy of the General Emergency Situation Inspectorate for the Period 2016-2025. Especially operation VI.2.1. Strengthening communication and prevention. –by the awareness raising campaigns organised on both side of the border.

Deliverable (other than infrastructural investment) areas:

România (RO), Valcani, -, 283, 307153
Serbia (RS), Novi Knezevac, Karadjordjeva, 45, 23330

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 081 - Participations in joint actions across borders, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 084 - Organisations cooperating across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:
RCR 085 - Participations in joint actions across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Romania Serbia

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-03-18

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

26 / 26 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

71 / 71 (100%)

Notes on the data

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