New fire station for the Malinska-Dubašnica Volunteer Fire Department opened, worth 3.7 million euros

This is the first completed project under the Integrated Territorial Programme for Islands.

The Municipality of Malinska-Dubašnica and the Malinska-Dubašnica Voluntary Fire Brigade have officially opened a newly constructed, modernly equipped fire station. This strategic infrastructure advancement—valued at over 3.7 million euros—allows local volunteer firefighters to leave behind the improvised, cramped, and leaky shipping container they had occupied for eight full years, moving instead into one of the most state-of-the-art civil protection centers on the island of Krk.

The project was led by the Municipality of Malinska-Dubašnica and co-financed with 2.2 million euros through the Integrated Territorial Programme for Islands. The remaining funds were provided by the Municipality, the Voluntary Fire Brigade, and the Regional Firefighting Association of the island of Krk.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Municipal Mayor, Robert Anton Kraljić; the Commander of the Voluntary Fire Brigade, Mario Mihaljević; the Chief Fire Commander, Slavko Tucaković; and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Zrinka Raguž.

Congratulating the hosts and partners on the successful, smooth, and timely completion of the project, State Secretary Raguž highlighted that this is the first project finalized under the Integrated Territorial Programme for Islands—an initiative that has allocated 150 million euros exclusively for investments in island development projects.

"Of the aforementioned amount, as much as 31.7 million euros has been secured for investments in resilience, safety, cultural and tourism offerings, and sports facilities on the islands of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. All planned calls for proposals have already been published, and more than 75% of the funds have been contracted—which means we can look forward to new ceremonial openings and further positive development stories," stated State Secretary Raguž.

The new facility, situated on a 2,100 m⊃2; plot, encompasses 908 m⊃2; of net usable area and provides all the technical prerequisites for the most demanding types of training. It features a specialized climbing wall for high-angle and confined-space rescue exercises; a fire training tower from which a commander can operationally oversee all tactical drills involving both the unit and the youth fire brigade; a video surveillance system for early fire detection—integrated into the network of the Krk Island Regional Firefighting Association—as well as modern classrooms and spaces for theoretical instruction, meetings, and international cooperation.

The implementation of this project has significantly enhanced the infrastructural and operational capacities of the local fire service. It has established the conditions for faster and more effective responses to fires, floods, earthquakes, and other emergencies, as well as for conducting technical interventions, high-angle and confined-space rescues, and operations in other situations that pose a threat to people, property, and the environment.