FIRESPILL IS A PROJECT OF BIG IMPORTANCE FOR THE CROATIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE

With the construction of this center, the Croatian Emergency Response Service will stand alongside the most efficient services of its kind in Europe

With the construction of the Regional Training Center for Fire Brigade Operational Forces in Vučevica (SDŽ), the Croatian Emergency Response Service will stand alongside the most efficient services of its kind in Europe and be an example of good practice at the regional level. The construction and equipping of this center is co-financed by grants from the FIRESPILL project within the cross-border program INTERREG Italy - Croatia. The construction of the 1st phase is in progress, ie in accordance with the planned dynamics, buildings A and D and access roads are being built, the value of which amounts to HRK 35,944,999.10 million without VAT (ie 44,931,248.88 with VAT).

 According to Jozo Sarač, director of the Public Institution RERAS.D. for the Coordination and Development of the Split-Dalmatia County and the main partner of the FIRESPILL project, the importance of this cross-border project involving 14 partners from the Italian and Croatian sides is much wider, and within it a special place is occupied by field actions, but also to educate and train staff in the field of protection against natural disasters and other disasters.

- Firespill is a project of wider significance that will position the Croatian emergency services at the very top of Europe. It is planned to procure vehicles, equipment and telecommunication systems of command headquarters, construction of a training center for firefighting and various training grounds to ensure, in case of natural disasters, to minimize damage to manpower and property and to train all our professionals to provide a quality response to all the challenges that await us, said Sarac.

In addition, the center in Vučevica will have modern simulation facilities, organized exercises, seminars for advanced training (cross-border knowledge exchange), demonstration exercises for rescuing civilians, etc. The Center for Advanced Training in Firefighting and Civil Protection will have a branch office in Dubrovnik-Neretva County , in Kula Norinska, whose purpose is also the prevention of fires and other hazards in the Neretva Valley and its surroundings. These two Centers in Croatia will establish permanent cross-border cooperation with the Belvedere di Fabriano Training Park (Marche region) in Italy, which will also improve its infrastructure from this project.

The FIRESPILL strategic project is being implemented within the INTERREG Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation program. The holder and leading partner of the project, which brings together a total of 14 partner institutions and regional government units from Italy and Croatia, is the Public Institution RERAS.D. for the coordination and development of the Split-Dalmatia County.

The project aims to increase the capacity of emergency services to improve cross-border efficiency in dealing with natural and man-made disasters, reducing population exposure to hazards and increasing the security of the Croatian and Italian Adriatic basins by improving emergency prevention and management measures and instruments.

Improving the operational capabilities of emergency services will be ensured through the procurement of security equipment, emergency vehicles on land and sea, mobile command and control units, communication systems and the establishment of the Regional Training Center for Training Operational Forces of the Fire Brigade in Vučevica (SDŽ). The estimated budget of the FIRESPILL project is over 120 million kuna, of which about 65 million kuna relates to activities in the Split-Dalmatia County, mostly to the construction and equipping of the center in Vucevica.

The total duration of the project is 33 months.