29 September 2021 - CODE VDIC project Closing Event, Final Exercise and Local Campaign for Inhabitants in the frame of the Safety Day 2021

More than 200 participants (project partners, professionals and volunteers) gathered for the Closing Event and Final Exercise of the „CODE VDIC - Common Development of Volunteer Disaster Intervention Capability" (HUSKROUA/1702/8.1/0035) project on the 15th of September 2021 in Sátoraljaújhely and surrounding areas, Hungary. 

The so called “Safety Day” - which is organized annually in September each year, with the close cooperation of the town of Sátoraljaújhely, law enforcement agencies, civil protection- and disaster management organizations, schools, and kindergartens -, has provided a great opportunity for the CODE VDIC project partners to co-organize their Closing Event and Final Exercise for this same day to share the project results with as many participants as possible and to finally meet in person after a long pandemic period.

Prominent speakers, like Dr. Péter Jackovics, Fire Colonel, Head of Emergency Management Department, Ministry of the Interior National Directorate General for Disaster Management Civil Protection Inspectorate, Dr. habil István Endrődi, Retired Fire Colonel, President of the Hungarian Civil Defense Association, Sándor Zán Fábián, Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church and György Leskó, Vice President, responsible for the International Relations of the Hungarian Civil Protection Association, senior professional coordinator of the CODE VDIC project, have highlighted the importance of developing the local volunteer capacities -, even through such international cooperation projects, like CODE VDIC -, who are then better prepared to effectively intervene at the time of cross-border disastrous events as well. These human and technical volunteer capacities are becoming more and more valuable as both natural and man-made disasters seem to be on the rise nowadays.

One of the key activities of the project was to establish a network of cross-border volunteer organizations, who will keep in touch even after the project ends and will find new ways on how to cooperate in the future. Therefore, following the professional session of the Closing Event, this network was officially extended by welcoming new Hungarian organizations, whose representatives have signed the CODE VDIC volunteer cross-Border network cooperation agreement, because they are dedicated to becoming part of a long-term cross-border volunteer intervention cooperation.

 The Final Exercise section of the Closing Event has taken place at 5 “damaged sites” in and around Sátoraljaújhely, where CODE VDIC project participants have been taken by a small city train to view the performance of the trainees, who have participated at the local training - organized also in the frame of the project this summer in Pálháza, Hungary -, focusing on flood protection.  

In the afternoon session, project partners attended the 5th Project- and Steering Group meeting as well to discuss actual and upcoming tasks until the end of November, when the project will officially close.

 Hungarian Partners have prepared promotional materials for a Local Campaign for Inhabitants too – mainly targeting the youth - to attract them to become volunteers when they grow older. Promo materials were distributed and information about the project was shared at a campaign tent, dedicated to showcase the CODE VDIC project and its results.  

 Moreover, outdoor disaster management-, military-, police-, healthcare static- and rescue demonstrations have also made this event memorable for the participants.  

More photos, a radio interview and a television report about the Closing Event and the promotional materials (joint publication, leaflet, project brochure) will be available on the project website and social media site.