Acronym

CrossEMS

NUMBER

PBU1/0497/16

Project type

Regular project

STATUS

Completed

THEMATIC OBJECTIVE

SECURITY

PRIORITY

3.2 Addressing common security challenges

PARTNERSHIP

PL-BY

LEAD BENEFICIARY

Dobrzyniewo Duże Commune (Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland)

BENEFICIARY

Hrodna Regional Department of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus (Hrodna Oblast, Belarus)
Hrodna District Executive Committee (Hrodna Oblast, Belarus)

Project description

Neighbouring areas from both sides of the Polish-Belarusian border: Dobrzyniewo Duże Commune and the western part  of the Hrodna Oblast keep on struggling with similar emergency problems like natural disasters, forest fires, low level of road safety or insufficient equipment provision of rescue services. These problems are very often of cross-border nature, affecting simultaneously both sides of it. Thus, the professional equipment and close cooperation between the emergency services is a must in order to effectively counteract such challenges.

The CrossEMS project is an answer to these needs. Two  new fire stations will be built within the project – in the village of Letniki in the Dobrzyniewo Duże Commune and in the town of Sapockin by the Augustów Canal (BY). Furthermore, the part- ners will equip the rescue units with modern medium fire fighting vehicles: one for Pogorzałki unit (PL) and one for Sapockin unit. For the Belarusian side also the rescue boat with motor and trailer as well as the special SUV car for rapid response   in difficult conditions will be purchased. Moreover, in order to enhance the capacity of rescue system, three special trainings for the Belarusian and Polish fire-fighting and rescue units will be organized – all on the subjects of emergency, medical rescue operations, technical rescue on roads and secure borderlands. Furthermore, common Cross-border Emergency Management Plan – an effective management tool for coordinating, integrating, exercise and synchronizing emergency responses on border area – will be developed by the project partners.

The cooperation between fire-fighting and rescuing units introduced within the project will improve responding to emergency situations on both sides of the border. In the consequence, waiting time for help will be significantly shortened – the local inhabitants, visiting guests as well as natural resources and heritage of the local area will be safer and better protected.