On 4 December 2025, the Civil Protection Forum ‘Synergy for Safety’ was held in Kyiv, organised by the Solidarity Fund PL Representative Office in Ukraine. The event brought together about 100 participants: representatives of state authorities, the State Emergency Service, diplomatic institutions, international organisations, experts and communities.

The goal of the Forum was to develop a shared vision for the creation of a modern civil protection system, based on cooperation between various entities, including local governments and civil society organisations. A key topic was how to develop a sustainable ecosystem for the voluntary firefighting movement in Ukraine.

Opening remarks and key messages

In his welcoming speech, Paweł Kost, Country Director of the Solidarity Fund PL Representative Office in Ukraine, thanked the participants for their commitment to the development of the Ukrainian voluntary firefighting movement and the partners for their support of critical changes in the civil protection sector.

Artur Grossman, Development Cooperation Officer at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, emphasised the importance of investing in civil protection, which, as European experience shows, plays a key role in youth development and community capacity building.

Johannes Fromholt, Coordinator at the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), said, ‘For the European Commission, civil protection is not only about response, but also about prevention and resilience at all levels of society. Ukraine is already a full member of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and one of its key participants.’

Panel discussions: vision, experience and practice

During the first panel discussion, participants focused on the vision of a European-integrated civil protection system in Ukraine, European approaches to multilevel cooperation and the role of local self-government. Agnieszka Piasecka, Firefighters Project expert, noted, ‘Ukraine has already developed proven skills in dealing with collapsed buildings and providing primary medical care... In summary, the EU stands for standards, while Ukraine stands for flexible responses to large-scale challenges.’

The following discussions focused on international support and developing community self-sufficiency. Representatives from the Obroshyne, Horodenka, Peremyshliany, Kuialnyk, and Khotyn shared case studies on the development of civil protection initiatives at a local level.

The panel discussion ‘Joint Efforts for a Common Goal’ brought together representatives of the State Emergency Service and volunteer fire brigades. The discussion focused on examples of effective cooperation, particularly in frontline areas, as well as the challenges facing the movement. Particular attention was paid to motivating the population.

Oleksii Romaniuk, Head of the 9th Fire and Rescue Unit of the State Emergency Service in the Zhytomyr region, remarked, ‘When it comes to encouragement, the most important thing is media and social network coverage of the activities of the civil protection movement.’

Maksym Masiuk, Head of the Civil Protection Unit in Blahodatne village in the Zolotonosha community, agreed, saying, ‘We make maximum use of all resources to make our work visible... Every firefighter understands that if they do not demonstrate the results of their work, they will remain unnoticed.’

The Forum was held as part of the project ‘Firefighters. Supporting the resilience of Ukrainian communities by strengthening the civil protection system at the local level’, implemented with the financial support of the Democracy Support 2025 Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.