Solutions from Ukraine: State Emergency Service and TNMK band partner to provide power outage preparation training

An online course titled "Don't Stand Still – Activate: Light, Heat, Internet" is now available in Ukraine. The instructional videos showcase members of the TNMK band, Oleh "Fahot" Mykhailiuta, and Oleksandr "Fozzie" Sydorenko, along with Oleksandr Khorunzhy, the press officer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

The press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that.

What's the problem?

According to the State Emergency Service, their units were called in over 29 thousand times to deal with the effects of enemy shelling during the large-scale war. Despite a lack of electricity, rescuers could provide autonomous power to 2,460 critical facilities.

Since the start of 2024, nearly 9 thousand fires have been caused by emergency modes of operation in electrical networks and appliances. Specifically, 286 resulted from energy storage devices malfunctioning, while generators caused 82.

As a result of these incidents:

• nine people died, including one child,
• 72 were injured (including three children).

"Air Defense Forces, the State Emergency Service, and Ukrainian energy specialists are doing everything to ensure the light returns 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 during power outages.

Knowledge and compliance with basic safety rules can save lives," Ruslan Bukhanets, Acting Director of the Department for the Prevention of Emergency Situations of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, said.

What is the solution?

Against the backdrop of possible blackouts, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, with the support of the Eastern Europe Foundation and the Swiss-funded EGAP Program, has developed a course called "Don't Stand Still—Activate: Light, Heat, Internet "that will teach how to use alternative power sources safely.

^{Photo: Eastern Europe Foundation YouTube channel}

"It becomes more difficult to deal with such problems in the cold season, so it is essential to have alternative power sources.

However, "improper device use, system overloading, and simply ignorance of key safety rules lead to fires, emergencies, and sometimes even new victims," ​​the State Emergency Service noted.

How does it work?

"So the course "Don't Stand Still – Activate: Light, Heat, Internet" is another resource to ensure citizens' access to useful and important knowledge," Ruslan Bukhanets added.

After completing the training, Ukrainians can survive the autumn-winter period better.

In it, people will be able to learn safety rules when using alternative power sources and reduce the number of household emergencies.

During the course, Ukrainians will also learn how to have uninterrupted access to the Internet when there is no electricity.

In eight episodes, the presenters report on:

• how to power an apartment and a private house;
• how to prepare for outages in an apartment building;
• how to power a router and which provider to choose to have access to the Internet;
• how to use different devices in different conditions;
• what to pay attention to when choosing a device;
• what are the safety measures when using different devices.

Fahot and Fozzi from the TNMK band call their participation in the course socially beneficial because informing people is always timely. Participation in Foundation and SES educational projects is not new for Oleh Fahot Mykhailiuta. Last year, he presented the course "Look under your feet! Look where you are going!" about mine safety, which set an all-Ukrainian record.

Oleksandr Fozzie Sydorenko, who was also involved in creating the course, contributed to society's well-being and found solutions to important personal concerns.

"I am a humanitarian [i.e., lacking technical knowledge – ed.], and I must prepare for winter. I'm currently figuring out how to set up an Internet connection for my mother in Kharkiv. This course has really been helpful for me. I'm confident that the students will also learn a lot of useful and new information," Oleksandr comments.

At the link, you can register for the course "Don't Stand Still—Activate: Light, Heat, Internet."

The SES noted that the training is free.

After the training, Ukrainians will be able to receive a certificate for 0.2 ECTS credits, which is six academic hours.

For reference:

On November 17, the Russian Federation again attacked the energy infrastructure of Ukraine. Because of this, the power outage schedules were returned.

During a massive missile attack on Ukraine, Russian forces struck several DTEK thermal power plants, causing severe damage to energy equipment.