site.btaFire Safety Directorate General Receives 100 Vehicles, Six Water Tanks

At a ceremony in Lokorsko (Sofia Municipality) Friday, the Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate General (FSPP DG) received a total of 100 vehicles for operational response and six water tanks for firefighting with helicopters. The specialized fire fighting equipment was purchased under a project funded by the Environment Programme 2021-2027. The project will also train the population's response to forest fires.

In recent years, the growth of fires in Bulgaria has been noticeable, which poses significant risks, said Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov. He added that this leads to loss of human lives and environmental damage. He also pointed to economic losses. The fact that the European community is allocating this resource to Bulgaria underlines how important the mission of the colleagues from FSPP DG is, Genov noted.

The training of 27,000 people, including children, students, forestry employees, to form a better knowledge of forest fire prevention, said FSPP DG Director Chief Commissioner Aleksandar Dzhartov. This is part of efforts in recent years to provide better protection to citizens and their property, he said.

The project provides BGN 163 million, the planned implementation period is 60 months. A total of 1,500 sets of breathing apparatus, 3,000 compressed air cylinders and 7,500 face masks have been delivered so far.