How Crimea copes with fires and what preventive measures work — interview with Sergey Sadakliev

Every year, on the eve of the fire season, a list of populated areas at risk of landscape fires is approved. Currently, this list includes 451 populated areas, 183 of which are at risk of forest fires. There is also a list of areas of children’s recreation and health organizations, gardening areas, and vegetable gardening areas. Additional fire safety requirements apply to them. Compared to last year, we have exceeded the plan for preparing for the summer fire season by 145%. The Ministry of Resorts is developing safe routes for tourists. In mountainous forest areas, they distribute leaflets and instructions on how to behave, and ensure that people do not set fires or make fires in unauthorized places. Interdepartmental preventive groups have been created, which include representatives of the administration, forestry, and the supervisory unit. More than 500 preventive inspections have been carried out with all their might, and almost 3,000 warnings have been issued about the inadmissibility of violating mandatory fire safety requirements. Additionally, about 18 water tanks, 456 fire hydrants were installed, and 36 fire hydrants were repaired. In populated areas, mineralized strips of about 600-650 kilometers were constructed.notes Sergey Sadakliev.

The head of the emergency department also spoke about what proportion of information about emergencies from citizens is false calls and how they are dealt with.

Only our «Fire Protection of the Republic of Crimea» has had 213 false calls since the beginning of the year. On average, this is every eighth case. Since the beginning of the year, out of 435,547 calls to the 112 service, 78,460 were false. Plus, there were 2,326 childish pranks, and 1,547 test calls from the valiant population in the style of: «Do you work there?» In general, more than 80 thousand false calls are every fifth call. In any case, the dispatcher correctly answers the caller. But law enforcement agencies are especially persistent in dealing with telephone hooligans. After all, a line occupied by jokes can cost someone their life. Taking this opportunity, I would like to remind you that the 112 system must accept calls with a threat to life and health! For other calls, there are «hotlines» of administrations, resource supplying organizations, the Rapid Response Center under the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea, etc.— says the minister.

Sergey Sadakliev also mentioned the main achievements of the Ministry over 10 years.

For the first time in the last 30 years, 3,377 self-rescuers for children and adults, as well as 261 protective children’s cameras, were purchased and transferred to municipalities free of charge for the unemployed population in the risk zone. In 2022, we put the 112 System into commercial operation. Every month, operators receive and process about 100 thousand calls. Today, we are among the top 10 regions of Russia in terms of the System’s operation. The number of loudspeakers installed in the regions of Crimea is increasing. Last year alone, 163 devices were installed, and over the past 3 years — more than 300 units. In total, there are already 563 of them in Crimea, — said the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Crimea.

The full text of the interview can be found see here

source: press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in Crimea