Practical knowledge for volunteer firefighters, useful information for the public
Representatives of the Harghita County Council also participated in the closing conference of the international SAFETY4TMF project in Budapest, where the partnership reviewed the professional results achieved during the past period, the experience gained from the pilot exercises, as well as solutions supporting the prevention of risks associated with tailings management facilities and emergency response.
At the closing event held on September 28–29, the project partners reviewed the professional results achieved, the training and awareness-raising activities, as well as the lessons learned from the pilot exercises. Particular attention was also given to how the methods and results developed within the project can continue to be used after the project has ended.
One of the project’s important achievements was the review and refinement of the database of tailings management facilities (TMFs). The significance of this is demonstrated by the fact that approximately 5 million people live within the potential 10-kilometre risk zone of such facilities in the Danube River Basin, while more than 1.5 billion cubic metres of tailings are stored in the region.
In Romania, the review resulted in the number of TMFs recorded in the database being revised from 152 to 98, after waste rock dumps and other facilities that did not meet the definition of a TMF were removed from the records.
In Romania, the project’s enhanced geospatial risk assessment method was also tested at the Valea Șesei tailings management facility. By taking topographical and runoff conditions into account, this method can identify more accurately the buildings, infrastructure and river sections that could be affected in the event of a potential accident.
The results achieved by the project in Harghita County also include the training of local volunteer firefighters and the expansion of the equipment available for emergency interventions. A total of 64 volunteer firefighters from Dealu, Praid, Corund and Tibod participated in theoretical and practical training sessions, where they learned, among other things, how to manage flood and flash flood situations and how to use a mobile flood protection system.
Through the project, a mobile flood protection system, protective equipment, mobile containers, a generator and lighting equipment were also procured. These were tested under real-life conditions during the international exercise in Vlăhița.
At the same time, the informational publication What Should We Do?, designed to help prepare the public, was also completed and made available in both printed and online formats. The publication provides practical guidance on how to act in the event of a potential emergency, and its online version is available here:
https://hargitamegye.ro/mit-tegyunk-katasztrofa-eseten/
With the completion of the SAFETY4TMF project, the practical application of the work carried out does not come to an end. The training sessions, the equipment procured, the experience gained during the international exercise and the procedures developed can continue to support the preparedness of local emergency response units and the more coordinated management of emergency situations.
Miercurea Ciuc, October 1, 2026.