A total of 100 passenger cars for operations and six water tanks for extinguishing fires with helicopters were received today by the General Directorate of Fire Safety and Civil Protection (GDFSCP) at a ceremony at the Central Warehouse of the Fire Department in the village of Lokorsko.

The specialized firefighting equipment and machinery was purchased under the Project "Increasing the technical support and capacity of the structural units of the General Directorate of Fire Safety and Civil Protection and Preparing the Population for Responding to Forest Fires", funded under the Environment Program 2021-2027.

"It is particularly important that the Ministry of Environment and Water, through the Environment Program, was able to provide the necessary financial resources so that we can contribute to reducing the risk of forest fires and the damage they cause, as well as to ensuring the necessary protection of the population and natural resources," said Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov during the event. He recalled that in recent years the increase in fires in Bulgaria has been tangible and this leads to loss of human lives, economic losses and damage to the environment.

The total investment value of the project is over 163 million BGN, which is provided to the country free of charge from European funds. "This investment will ensure rapid movement to the site of the fires and will improve the prevention capacity," commented Minister Genov. "The fact that the European community is allocating this resource to Bulgaria emphasizes how important the mission of the colleagues from the General Directorate ‘Fire Safety and Civil Protection’ is," noted the Minister.

The implementation of the project will ensure the necessary capacity for responding to forest fires with timely and adequate actions of the territorial units of the Bulgarian Fire and Rescue Service. So far, the project has delivered 1500 sets of breathing apparatuses, 3000 compressed air cylinders, 7500 face masks, 1500 rescue hoods, 28 compressors for charging breathing apparatus cylinders, 23 breathing apparatus test stands, 12 professional washing machines, 12 professional dryers, 55000 children's books, 6 water tanks for extinguishing fires with aircraft, as well as 100 passenger cars.

"The profession of a firefighter is associated with constant risk, tension, incredible courage. I express my gratitude for your work and believe that today we are doing at least a little to reduce the daily risk to your health." With these words, Minister Genov addressed the employees of the directorate, emphasizing how important joint efforts and cooperation between the two ministries are to mobilize resources in the fight against forest fires.

"We are signaling that your work is valuable - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Filip Popov addressed the firefighters - This is an investment not only in the safety of our fellow citizens, but also in your security and efficiency in the field," he emphasized.

"The training of 27000 people, including children, students, and employees of forestry enterprises, to build a better culture in terms of forest fire prevention is to be conducted," said the director of the GDFSCP Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, indicating that this is the largest project the directorate is working on.

The overall implementation of the project includes the delivery of 385 specialized vehicles for firefighting and operational activities - light, medium, and heavy class; 67 mobile systems for extinguishing forest fires; 6000 personal protective equipment and additional modern equipment; upgrading and equipping the six centers of the GDFSCP with equipment for practical exercises and training related to the prevention and response in case of forest fires - in Vratsa, Garvan village (Gabrovo region), Shumen, Burgas, Boshulya village (Pazardzhik region), and Sofia.

The planned implementation period is 60 months. Over 4.5 million hectares of forest areas will be covered by the measures for protection against devastating fires (this constitutes the total area of ​​forest areas in the country).