"If nature is a prerequisite, the cause is usually us, in 90% of cases."
This was stated in an interview with BNR by Nikolay Nikolov, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs and long-time head of the Main Directorate "Fire Safety and Protection of the Population".
Human activity is the main reason for the occurrence of fires, said the specialist, who called for our culture to be on another level.
"We learn from our mistakes. We do not learn from the mistakes of others."
When asked about the technical suitability of the services to deal with such disasters, Nikolay Nikolov pointed out that in recent years the Fire Department has received a lot of new and modern equipment.
The country is not poor. He can buy helicopters and airplanes, but without people to manage and maintain them, so what, commented Nikolov. According to him, a medium-term program is needed.
The expert singled out three factors - risk management, population education and disaster response. According to him, at the height of the hot season, the police and fire service officers go around the small towns and give warnings.
The BG Alert system is well made, but its drive is clumsy, Nikolay Nikolov warned about the electronic automatic early warning system.
Organizing the spread of a fire on paper looks easy, he also noted and gave an example of the burnt houses in the village of Voden due to a change in the direction of the wind.
"A new organization is needed for better coordination. Let's think about how to strengthen local government. We should direct our efforts there."