Europe-Belarus: a million euro idea

EU is ready to give that much money to create an international volunteer centre of young firefighters and rescuers in Brest in 2008-2009.

Brest has received another opportunity to become a construction site for an international project . The technical secretariat of the Poland-Belarus-Ukraine Interreg III A/TACIS CBC neighbourhood programme  has already confirmed this fact. One million euro will be issued to fulfill the grand plan of Brest regional department of Ministry on Emergency Situations. The idea has appeared only recently, but there’s already a chance to make it come to life. The project includes creation of an international youth volunteer centre for young firefighters and rescuers on Lieutenanta Ryabtseva street 54, where a training complex of the regional MES department is situated. 

90 percent of the costs will be provided by the EU, and Brest firefighters will fund the rest. The realization is expected to last for 23 months in 2008 and 2009. But before that, the project must go through an approval procedure in Belarusian government, which will take a couple months.

Konstantin Shershunovich, the head of the regional MES department, told that the “101” service participated in the IV competition in social infrastructure improvement projects of Poland-Belarus-Ukraine Interreg III A/TACIS CBC. And the Brest region was the only Belarusian applicant to receive formal approval of the judging committee.  And before that, they had to go through two stages – formal and technical estimation. Altogether there were 170 applications from state and non-governmental organizations of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. 35 of them – from Belarus and Ukraine.

So, what is the essence of the project, which interested the Europe so much? The project is called “Improvement of the System of Public Participation in Prevention and Liquidation of Ecological Catastrophes in “Bug” Euroregion”. Its main objective is raising the level of ecological culture of population and fire security of border territories, lessening the number of fires in the forests, stopping of burning the dry plants. Systematical approach requires close cooperation between the rescue services of the three countries, local authorities, NGOs, volunteers. And the volunteer centre will assist in that. Adults will study there as well. There will be teachers, who’ll help the MES to spread the “fire awareness education” not just in big but also in small and remote settlements.

They plan to conduct special seminars in those districts of Brest region, which are more likely to suffer from fires and contain unique ecological objects of international importance. The informational campaign in prevention of forest fires will be enlarged by creation a website and a forum of “Bug” Euroregion young firefighters and rescuers, plus a permanent informational and methodic centre for consultation of the population in ecological culture and life security.

The complex of actions will allow the work on ecological security of the region, environment monitoring system and international volunteer movement.

The grant will also be used to finish the reconstruction of the training base of Brest “101” service. It will be available for everyone, so not just the professional firefighters, but also their young assistants, volunteer firefighter squad members, students etc. could improve their fire prevention and fighting skills.
Tamara Tiborovskaya
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