Defense Minister Niko Peleshi held a meeting with prefects, mayors and heads of operational structures of the Civil Defense to discuss about fire prevention precautions during summer season.
In the presence of the General Director of the Civil Protection Agency, Haki Çako, and Chief of the General Staff of the AF, Major General Arben Kingji, Minister Peleshi asked for a better work coordination to deal with emergencies at local level.
Minister Peleshi said that the Ministry of Defense and the National Civil Defense Agency have operational capacities available and are ready to intervene whenever needed, but emergencies such as fires must be signaled and stopped at their initial stage to avoid spreading to larger sizes.
“Our country is not without operational capacity. There are 1 600 firemen throughout the country, 182 fire extinguishers, 80 water tankers, AF personnel and vehicles that, as you know, are at the forefront of the action in every emergency, all police structures available and with whom they cooperate very well, health emergency, the network of volunteers, etc.", - stated Mr. Peleshi.
According to him, for a year now Albania has also received a great support because of its full membership in the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
"Meaning that if all local and central levels run out of resources, we have the support of this mechanism that has functioned for us and is one of the most efficient. Technology has developed. There are drones for reconnaissance, the "Puma" drones put into operation since last year and providing us with very useful information at a great time speed. “Even satellite images are now a big help and an added value", - stated Peleshi.
According to these satellite data, Minister Peleshi said that 125 active fires were recorded during June-July, and were managed very well by the local units. Concerning the current situation in the two active fires, in the forest of Peshtan, Fier and in the Waste Field in Vlora, Minister Peleshi said:
“Today we have two active and very critical fires, one in the forest of Peshtan and the other in the Waste Field, in Vlora. The Armed Forces are trying to extinguish the fire in the Waste Field, in Vlora. There are 50 effectives, two water tankers, 15 municipal forces, in addition to 50 police forces and the Cougar helicopter working continuously in Peshtan. After 20 days, the fire was reactivated again. The helicopter, as well as numerous fire extinguishers, water tankers, and other excavating equipment are available whenever necessary. But it must be said that whenever there is a big fire, there are monitor and early warning problems. There is no failure if the system works properly, starting with the village headmen or community sensitization. If announced early, the fire cannot spread in larger sizes."
Peleshi appreciated the work done during the recent years concerning monitoring, observation and response to emergencies, but added that there are some municipalities or regions, when this does not work.
“A very scorching season has begun, hotter than last year, that of the African heat which will affect parts of southern and central Albania, but not only. Last year there were numerous cool mountain areas where fires broke out. Vigilance should be everywhere, beginning from the community level. Keep daily contacts with village headmen, train them and ask them to warn about fires. It is crucial to receive an early warning. From experience, where the system works out properly, we are safe from big fires. They avoid the most important thing, the loss of people's lives, because the dimensions of the emergency cannot increase if we are capillary in monitoring. We have seen much that more powerful countries than us, such as Turkey, or even Greece recently, are facing great emergencies, damage, in people and properties. So, it's not easy. Despite your large fleet of helicopters or firefighters, you can't deal with emergencies when they take on large proportions," - emphasized the Minister of Defense. He also asked local leaders to be ready with their evacuation plans.
