Home Affairs Minister Catalin Predoiu on Tuesday said that the official request from abroad for the presence of Romanian firefighters, through the Emergency Management Department (DSU) and the General Emergency Management Inspectorate (IGSU), in preventive crews for extinguishing fires is proof that the civil defence system in Romania works very well.
"These requests are filed because you have displayed, first of all at homme, and then abroad, expertise, ability to conduct missions and to fulfil them successfully. You have proven your ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad," Predoiu told a ceremony for the departure of a contingent of rescue firefighters to Greece.
He added that these missions are carried out under the European Civil Protection Mechanism, on European funding, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the DSU - IGSU, is asked for the fourth consecutive time to pre-position a number of rescue firefighters in Greece.
Between August 1 and September 15, DSU via IGSU, is contributing a specialised national forest fire fighting module in the pre-positioning programme, organised by the EU's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations - DG ECHO, in order to strengthen Greece's resilience in managing this type of risk.
The first contingent, of 40 firefighters and three 3,000 l forest fire fighting trucks, a 30,000 l tanker, a 10,000 l large capacity firefighting truck, a minibus, two first response and command trucks, started travelling on Tuesday on the route Ciolpani - Giurgiu - Ruse - Sofia - Kulata - Thessaloniki - Nea Makri, east of Athens.
Staff replacements are scheduled for August 16 and 31, with two other series of 40 firefighters replacing the staff near Athens.
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