Joint initiative by DSU and UNICEF: animations dedicated to preparing adolescents for emergency situations

Bucharest, August 13, 2025 - Adolescents in Romania are learning how to cope with heat waves and other emergencies through a series of animated videos launched by the Department for Emergency Situations and UNICEF in Romania.

The video series is designed for young audiences, with a dynamic, simple, and easy-to-remember style that transforms official recommendations into clear, useful, and friendly information with the help of four memorable characters: Irina, Sorin, Matei, and Ilona. The content is based on the official guidelines available on fiipregatit.ro, the national platform for preparing the population for emergency situations.

The first episode is dedicated to heat waves. Adolescents will learn how to protect themselves during days with extreme temperatures and how to prevent the risks associated with prolonged exposure to heat waves. It can be viewed on the FiiPregatit.ro platform, at the link https://fiipregatit.ro/ghiduri/canicula-pentru-adolescenti-38-17#despre-67.

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Dr. Raed Arafat, emphasizes the importance of expanding communication and training for young people:

"Developing preparedness guides that also include adolescents, adapted to language that is accessible and attractive to this age group, is one of the objectives of the Department for Emergency Situations. As we have always said, preparedness starts in the community and with every citizen. Adolescents, being an essential part of it, must be included in the educational and informational materials we promote. The fiipregatit.ro platform is an essential tool in this process. Until now, the content was mainly aimed at adults, but from now on, with the support of UNICEF Romania, we are developing a series of guides specifically designed for adolescents. The campaign will start with a guide dedicated to heat waves, an increasingly frequent phenomenon in the hot season, for which it is essential that adolescents are informed and prepared. We thank our partners at UNICEF Romania for their constant support and valuable collaboration in this initiative. A truly prepared Romania requires that every person – child, adolescent or adult – be prepared," said the head of the DSU.

"UNICEF is proud to partner with the Department of Emergency Situations (DSU) to prepare children and adolescents for the mounting challenges to their safety, especially those exacerbated by climate change. This animation series is a vital tool for communicating official emergency guidance in a way that is accessible and engaging for young people. It's a key part of our commitment to partnering with the DSU to integrate children and their voices in our joint critical work," stated Gabrielle Akimova, UNICEF Romania Deputy Representative.

The video animations will be available on www.fiipregatit.ro and on the official social media channels and YouTube channels of the Department for Emergency Situations (Facebook, YouTube, TikTok) and UNICEF Romania, and the series will continue with episodes dedicated to other types of emergency situations relevant to adolescents: storms, earthquakes, fires, floods, and more.

Fiipregatit.ro remains the official source of information for the population on prevention and conduct in emergency situations. The new section dedicated to adolescents will be constantly updated with useful materials in an age-appropriate format.

The Department for Emergency Situations and UNICEF in Romania encourage young people to watch the videos, share them, and become ambassadors for safe behavior in their communities. They also encourages teachers, educational institutions, and all those who work with young people to use and promote these materials in educational activities, so that essential information about safety and preparedness reaches this age group as effectively as possible.