Improved capacities of local protection and rescue services: Six specialized fire trucks allocated

The vehicles were provided within the framework of the project “Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change in the Southern Adriatic” – RESILIENCE, funded by the European Union through the Interreg IPA Program South Adriatic 2021–2027, and were assigned to the municipalities of: Bar, Danilovgrad, Ulcinj, the Royal Capital of Cetinje, while two vehicles were temporarily assigned to the Capital City of Podgorica, as an administrative and technical user, until the formal establishment of protection services in the municipalities of Zeta and Tuzi.

The total value of the vehicles is EUR 399,154.80 and all vehicles are equipped with dedicated high-pressure firefighting modules, water tanks, signaling and equipment for intervention in difficult-to-access terrain.

The procurement of specialized vehicles is one of the key results of the project and a contribution to strengthening the readiness of municipalities to respond in the event of open fires, natural disasters and other emergencies. The new vehicles will enable faster intervention, greater accessibility in inaccessible terrain and more efficient operation of local protection and rescue units.

At the beginning of the event, the attendees were welcomed by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dragana Kažanegra Stanišić, who emphasized: "Investing in the equipment and capacities of the services is not just a financial investment. It is an investment in people's lives, in the security of our communities, in the ability of the state to respond to challenges. The Government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs remain fully committed to further strengthening the protection and rescue system."

The Director General of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, Miodrag Bešović, announced that this project is not an individual activity, but part of a broader vision and strategy for the development of the protection and rescue system, and announced another project that has begun to be implemented, within which fire trucks will be purchased for the municipalities included in the project.

Radomir Šćepanović, Head of the Directorate for Operational Affairs, and Slađana Pešić, National Program Coordinator of the Ministry for European Affairs, emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation and the contribution of the European Union in the modernization of response capacities.

 

The vehicles were received on behalf of the municipalities by Aleksandar Grgurović, Mayor of the Municipality of Danilovgrad, Genci Nimanbegu, Mayor of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Ana Novović, Deputy Mayor of the Royal Capital of Cetinje, Aco Vulević, Commander of the Protection Service of Bar, and Nikola Bojanović, Commander of the Protection and Rescue Service of the Capital City of Podgorica.

The RESILIENCE project is a strategic initiative aimed at improving the capacities of protection and rescue services in the cross-border area of Albania, Montenegro and Italy and includes the modernization of equipment, joint protocols, specialized training and the development of regional procedures for responding to emergency situations. In Montenegro, the project is implemented by the Directorate for Protection and Rescue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the total project budget for Montenegro is EUR 761,796, of which the European Union is financing 85% of the budget.

 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue to work on strengthening the capacities of all local government units through training, professional development and further procurement of equipment.