The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) has trained over 2,000 demining specialists to date.
This was reported by SES Chief Andrii Danyk in an interview with Ukrinform.
“We are expanding our training centers where we educate sappers. As of today, we have more than 2,000 trained demining specialists. Additionally, we are constantly increasing the number of specialized sapper units, including underwater demining units (capable of operating at great depths), K9 demining teams, and others,” Danyk said.
According to him, the rescue service is developing a system for underwater area demining and establishing a network of water safety stations for rapid response.
At the same time, the SES needs to train 500 more specialists for handling debris removal at heights.
“Over the past year, we quickly trained 500 rescue workers and equipped them. Notably, the equipment for each of these specialists costs around 100,000 UAH per set. Given the current situation, we understand that we need to train approximately the same number of additional professionals,” Danyk noted.
Over the past year, the SES established an engineering unit to support operations, as engineering equipment is crucial for quick and effective debris clearance caused by missile strikes.
Previously, the SES only had search dogs for locating survivors under rubble. Now, there are dogs trained to find deceased individuals, as well as explosives-detecting K9 units.
Over the past year, rescuers developed effective methods for extinguishing fires at oil and gas extraction facilities, including oil storage sites. They have also introduced new response algorithms for aerial attacks, including the use of remotely operated robotic systems.
“The training and deployment of radiation, chemical, and biological protection units have been carried out, and their functionality has been expanded. These units are actively involved in extinguishing large-scale forest fires, where there may be a shortage of personnel,” said the Head of the SES.
The rescue service is also actively developing and strengthening the capabilities of mountain rescue units, which have proven to be highly effective, Danyk noted.
The development of an effective civil protection system continues. “Among other things, last year we conducted comprehensive training for all services on preparing for blackouts, which yielded very positive results,” said Danyk.
The SES is also restoring the capabilities of its aviation. “I don’t want to go into details right now, but I believe that in the near future, we will show the entire society what we have accomplished,” the head of the service noted.
Commenting on the possible timeline for the launch of the Register of Areas Contaminated by Explosive Ordnance, the Head of the SES stated that the rescue service is making every effort to ensure that it operates by the end of 2025.
As reported, on April 4, 2024, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko announced the creation of Ukraine’s State Register of Areas Contaminated by Explosive Ordnance.
