According to the Disaster Protection Act, municipalities themselves have the opportunity to create voluntary formations. Targeted funding is provided for them on the one hand, for training on the other hand and for personal protective equipment. We provide equipment that is no longer necessary for us and can be allocated for them. I hope that after the new deliveries, which we expect for a significant number of fire engines, we will be able to help them more effectively.
This was stated in “Wake up” on Nova TV by the director of the DG "Fire Safety and Rescue of the Population" Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, commenting on the volunteer formations that assist firefighters in their fight against fires in different parts of the country.
He explained that in the Svilengrad region and in several other places - several volunteer formations "work completely independently and can be completely relied on in fighting the fire".
According to Dzhartov, the firefighters are currently focused on the flames in agricultural areas, which traditionally break out in the summer months. He reported a four-fold increase in fires compared to the beginning of the month. "Over the past 24 hours, we have 270 incidents, of which 200 are fires. Compared to the beginning of the month, when there were only 50, we have a four-fold increase", he reported.
And he emphasized that the positive thing at the moment is that the heatwave is not yet active. When temperatures start to rise, fires will start to become more and more difficult to control. "We still manage to cope within 24 hours. They are not on large areas", the chief commissioner emphasized.
He also explained the main reasons for the occurrence of the flames:
- Fires occur in three places. The first is in the yards, i.e. near the houses of citizens. It is usually related to the fact that they prepare winter food or clean their yard of dry vegetation in the hottest part of the day. That is, they deliberately cause ignition, not taking into account high temperatures, strong winds, and the fact that the yard area has not been cleaned.
-In agricultural lands, equipment is mainly the cause of fires, as well as cigarette butts.
-In forests, a large part of the fires are caused by lighting barbecues and generally leaving fires unattended. They cook their food and leave, without extinguishing the flames and remaining to observe what they have made as a hearth. Then, due to strong winds, the fire spreads.
Dzhartov also commented on the activation of the BG-ALERT system in the Shumen region due to the escaped black leopard, which has been searched for about a week. He was categorical that its activation was not a mistake. And he gave an example of Romania, where the system is built in exactly the same way and is used to warn of bears.
"The line between effective warning and creating panic is extremely thin and therefore it is necessary to assess when to activate the system. For this reason, we conduct trainings. The last time the system was activated in the Karnobat region, in connection with a fire. So it is an extremely effective tool. Currently, there is no other channel through which you can reach so many people so quickly. At the same time, however, reason must be used,", the fire chief emphasized.