site.btaRegional Fire Departments to Receive New Equipment under EU Programme

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy announced on Tuesday that all 28 regional fire departments will acquire drones with thermal cameras, hand-held, motorized and battery-powered firefighting tools, and communication equipment. 

The value of the submitted project proposals is EUR 7 million, secured by Minister Borislav Gutsanov through the Human Resources Development Programme (HRDP), which is co-financed by the European Union. The projects will be implemented in partnership with 245 municipalities and the National Association of Volunteers. With a further EUR 40 million provided by the HRDP, municipalities will be able to hire unemployed people to clean streams, riverbeds and other areas. The funds will also be used for disaster clean-up.

At a recent Council of Ministers briefing, Gutsanov announced that those affected by the floods in Kardzhali, Krumovgrad, Kirkovo and surrounding villages would receive an additional EUR 1,550. "This is our consistent policy. We took the same approach in the summer when there were fires and floods," the minister said.