Six territorial hromadas, selected through a nationwide three-stage competition, are participating in the project. All of them have expressed their intention to establish volunteer fire brigades (VFBs), which are intended to serve not only as a component of the local safety system but also as community hubs for civic engagement.

Under the project, each hromada will receive:

• An individual analytical report on the state of civil protection in their community, to support planning and fundraising efforts (reports will also be provided to around 30 hromadas that qualified for the second and third stages of the selection process);
• Participation in a series of training sessions and webinars on establishing VFBs and implementing a risk-based approach (around 15 webinars in total, some of them open to all interested parties);
• Expert support on the organisational and legal aspects of establishing VFBs, including the preparation of necessary documentation;
• Funding for training 12 prospective volunteer firefighters in each hromada (72 in total), in line with the programme approved by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine;
• Participation in study visits to Poland, where the VFB model has been successfully implemented – a group of 20 participants will learn about good practices in financing, training, educational and cultural roles, and cooperation with local authorities. Participants will include civil protection specialists from hromadas, leaders of local initiatives, and representatives of the State Emergency Service at both regional and central levels.

The project also includes:

• Analysis and proposals for legislative and procedural changes to improve civil protection management at the local level;
• Promotion of civil protection system reforms inspired by European solutions – through participation in meetings, conferences, and debates; publication of expert materials; and the creation of a knowledge base on the website www.vognebortsi.in.ua.

The project is implemented under the with funding from the Polish Democracy Support Programme 2025  development cooperation programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.