A free online course on how to prepare for blackouts has been launched by the State Emergency Service
In the wake of possible blackouts, the SES, with the support of the Eastern Europe Foundation and the EGAP Programme, funded by Switzerland, has developed a course that will teach Ukrainians how to safely use alternative power sources.
The partial or complete cessation of electricity, water and gas supply as a result of regular hostile shelling is one of the key challenges facing Ukrainians.
It becomes more difficult to cope with such problems during the cold season, so it is important to have alternative power sources. However, misuse of appliances, overloading of systems, and simply ignorance of key safety rules lead to fires, emergencies, and sometimes new victims.
That is why the Eastern Europe Foundation, together with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and with the support of the EGAP Programme, which promotes active digital transformation of our country, created the course ‘Don't Stand - Switch on: Light, Heat, Internet’.
The course aims to help Ukrainians survive the difficult autumn and winter period, introduce key safety rules for using alternative power sources and minimise the number of household emergencies. It also aims to provide uninterrupted access to online services even in the event of a power outage.
‘The course has been developed as part of the EGAP Programme, which has been working on Ukraine's digitalisation for almost 10 years. Obviously, there can be no talk of any e-services or e-democracy when there is no ‘base’ - light, water, and communication. Therefore, EGAP, at the expense of Switzerland, is trying to help Ukrainians go through these challenges without losing progress in digitalisation,’ said Viktor Liakh, President of the East Europe Foundation.
During the eight lectures of the course, its presenters - TNMK musicians Oleh Fagot Mykhailiuta and Oleksandr Fozzy Sydorenko, SES press officer Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, and energy efficiency expert Svyatoslav Pavliuk - told how to
- how to power an apartment or a private house
- how to prepare for power outages in an apartment building
- how to power up a router and which provider to choose to have access to the Internet
- how to use different devices in different conditions
- what to look for when choosing a device
- what are the safety measures when using different devices
According to the SES, their units have been involved in eliminating the consequences of enemy shelling more than 29,000 times during the full-scale invasion. In the face of a power shortage, rescuers managed to provide 2,460 vital facilities with autonomous power.
‘The air defence forces, the State Emergency Service and Ukrainian power engineers are doing everything to ensure that the power is restored as soon as possible. At the same time, one of our key tasks is not only to respond to emergencies but also to prevent them. We want every Ukrainian to know how to protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of a power outage. Knowing and following basic safety rules can save lives,’ added Andriy Danik, Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Fagot and Fozzy from the TNMK band call their participation in the course socially useful, as informing people is always relevant. Participation in the educational projects of the Foundation and the SES is not new for Oleh Fahot Mykhailiuta. Last year, he was a presenter in the course ‘Watch Your Steps! Watch Where You're Going!’ course on mine safety, which set an all-Ukrainian record.
Oleksandr Fozzy Sydorenko, who also contributed to the course, has found answers to pressing questions for himself in addition to benefiting society.
‘I am a humanitarian, and I need to prepare for winter. I need to figure out how to get the internet to my mother in Kharkiv. So this course was really useful to me. I am sure that the students will also get a lot of useful and new information,’ comments Alexander.
The course is free of charge. Successful completion of the course gives you the opportunity to receive a certificate containing 0.2 ECTS credits, or six academic hours, and is counted as self-education.
You can register for the course ‘Don't Stand Still - Switch on: Light, Heat, Internet’ here.
The online course was developed by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine with the support of the East Europe Foundation under the EGAP Programme, funded by Switzerland.