Arafat: We expect up to 14 emergency dispatches in the country to be fully integrated until year's end

Until the end of the year, a number of 14 emergency dispatches in the country would be fully integrated so that they include, together with the Fire Service and Ambulance, representatives of other services, such as the Police and the Gendarmerie, the head of he Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, mentioned on Wednesday.

"In the country, we have everywhere the Fire Service and Ambulance in the same place, but following the last decisions made at the level of the ministry and in the committee appointed by the Prime Minister, we took on the idea to totally integrate the dispatches and to bring the rest of the services there. Thus, in the course of this year, we expect up to 14 dispatches to be fully integrated by the end of the year. Namely, beside the Fire Service and Ambulance, to bring the rest of the emergency agencies so they are represented in the said dispatches. At this moment, beside Bucharest, there are two other cities that have the Police, the Gendarmeire and everyone in the same place: Targu Mures - which has been functioning like this for a long time - and Hunedoara - which has been functioning like that since 2014," the State Secretary showed in a press statement held at the Integrated Municipal Center for Emergency Situations.

He added that the center in Bucharest is hosted in an "extraordinary building, especially created for integrated dispatch", joining: fire fighters, Mobile Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication Service (SMURD) medics, he Ambulance service, the Police, the Gendarmerie and 112 emergency response service.

"The model to be followed includes thinking out the building. The Committee for emergency situations of Bucharest City and even Ilfov County meet here when we have disaster situations. They have the emergency side, which informs what happens in the field. There are facilities for meetings, for discussions. It's a model that should be replicated in the future. Not necessarily at the level of every county, but we might, in the future, think of having a building like this at the level of 2-3 counties, which would coordinate all the area in regards to emergency situations," he mentioned.

The General Mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, said that the Integrated Municipal Center for Emergency Situations has been functioning for over a year, following the implementation of a project with a total value of 24 million euro, of which 11 million euro for equipment.