OSCE supports young Ukrainian firefighters contest on risks and threats of explosive remnants of war

An OSCE-supported awareness-raising quiz on risks and threats of explosive remnants of war (ERW), for more than160 secondary school students from all over Ukraine, took place on 9 September 2013 in Zaozerne near Yevpatoria in Crimea.

This activity held by the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) was part of the annual all-Ukraine young firefighters festival organized by the country’s State Emergency Service. The OSCE event aimed at improving young citizens’ knowledge on ERW, which are still present in large quantities across the country, and pose a threat to safety.

Participants were divided into 27 teams representing all Ukrainian regions. They watched an educational video produced by the Project Co-ordinator and competed at handling situations when encountering explosives. A team from Kirovograd region won the competition closely followed by  Chernigiv, Khmelnytsky and Zaporizhia regions’ teams.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine detects tens of thousands of ERW per year, including unexploded and abandoned ordnance inherited from past wars, especially the Second World War, and Cold War-era military activities.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator has supported the Service’s efforts to reduce ERW risks by conducting education and awareness-raising campaigns since 2011.  The PCU has supported production of an animated clip and a documentary for school students, as well as design and printing of information posters which were distributed in Ukrainian schools this year.