Representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) and the State Emergency Service (SES) discussed response algorithms for radiation, chemical, biological and nuclear threats with officials in charge of radiation and chemical protection in regional military administrations, the URCS said on Facebook on Friday.
"The Ukrainian Red Cross, together with the SES, held a meeting with representatives of regional military administrations responsible for organizing radiation and chemical protection of the population and territories. Participants discussed readiness to respond to radiation, chemical, biological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, existing capabilities and further cooperation among all parties involved," it said.
The URCS is already developing its CBRN response work as part of emergency preparedness: special teams are being supplied with decontamination stations, undergo specialized training and rehearse their actions with the SES during drills, it said. The next step is to include trained URCS teams in joint response plans and algorithms.
The URCS, with support from the German Red Cross, also handed over 2,220 gas masks each to Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhia and Odesa regions to strengthen the protection of the population.
"Preparation, the necessary equipment and clear coordination among various services and the population help to be ready to act in the event of CBRN threats," the URCS said.
