An EU-funded project has ensured better training and provided new equipment for Slovakia’s local and regional fire and rescue services. The project should help to mitigate the threats to human life and property from fires and other phenomena related to climate change.
- 10 May 2019
“Our volunteer firefighters have acquired new technology that will enable them to more effectively protect residents and their property. I would like to thank them for their enthusiasm and I am glad that they are active in our town.”
A key element of the project included improved cooperation between different services, specifically between the Fire and Rescue Service and the Voluntary Fire Protection Service of the Slovak Republic.
A strategic document was drawn up that proposes changes not only on the level of cooperation during joint deployments, but also to training and legislation. The document covers the period up to 2030.
New equipment for municipal fire brigades
New fire engines and other firefighting equipment were acquired for 365 voluntary municipal fire brigades working in villages, towns and cities countrywide. Thanks to the new equipment, the municipal fire brigades can respond to emergencies such as flooding and fires faster and more effectively.
Training of the voluntary municipal fire brigades at the training centre in the village of Lešť, Central Slovakia, was modernised and expanded.
A total of 365 fire brigades benefited from the new equipment distributed under the project and training in its use. A total of around 3 000 people participated in the activities conducted within the project.
Long-term development
In the long term, the project will help the Presidium of the Fire and Rescue Service – a body of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, the principal beneficiary of the project – to establish a comprehensive mechanism to develop the voluntary municipal fire brigades and the Voluntary Fire Protection Service.
The work should also contribute to a more effective approach to dealing with emergencies, one that is based on an effective strategy and comprehensive risk assessments, regular monitoring, analysis of threats and the availability of resources to minimise their consequences.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Increase of expertise and intervention capacities at regional and local level” is EUR 42 727 527, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 34 793 025 through the “Quality of Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Promoting risk management, emergency management and resilience to emergencies affected by climate change”.