The document was signed by the Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė, Molėtai District Mayor Saulius Jauneika and Director of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD) Saulius Greičius.
In order to create a unified system, the Ministry of the Interior has invited the country’s municipalities to voluntarily participate in testing it – the Radviliškis Fire and Rescue Service has joined the pilot model.
Molėtai became the second municipality in the country whose fire and rescue service is connected to PAGD.
“Quality help during fire and other disasters must reach people on time. The current two-level Fire Safety Assurance System is inefficient, more complicated to administer, and more expensive. We are making changes because we measure the cost of an inefficient system in human lives, so we have initiated a centralized pilot model, which is already being successfully applied by the Radviliškis district municipality,” said A. Bilotaitė.
According to the ministry, the purpose of this contract is to consolidate the forces of the state fire rescue service and the fire service of the Molėtai district municipality in order to ensure the high-quality performance of the fire safety function and its continuity.
The aim of the unified system is to improve the preparation of the fire rescue forces in the municipalities – the forces could arrive at the scene in a shorter time, they would be fully equipped with working and protective equipment and be able to perform a wider range of rescue work.
Mayor: will meet expectations
According to S. Jauneika, the coordinated activities of firefighters will meet the expectations of the residents of the district in a more efficient and targeted manner in the event of an emergency and will contribute to the smooth execution of rescue operations.
“Joint coordination of actions and joint coordination of preparation, provision of firefighters with special equipment and techniques, it will apparently give completely different results than acting separately,” he said after signing the contract.
According to the mayor, there were no fears about the unified system, because the wishes and wishes of the firefighters were listened to, and the district council unanimously approved joining the model.
“When you put all the points together and say that the employment relationship continues, that the working conditions will improve, that there will be an additional person in the team and that there will always be two on call per team (…), plus the increase in wages and all the other things, there is additional training for physical for preparation. In fact, none of the firefighters resisted,” said S. Jauneika.
Will provide results
The pilot project in Radviliškis district municipality started in January 2023, according to the minister, during its implementation, the social guarantee of firefighters and service continuity was maintained.
“No, it’s not really stuck. Of course, we do not expect a large number of municipalities to participate in the pilot, this is the essence of the pilot project, the fact that several municipalities are participating and after some time we can evaluate the results and provide relevant decisions accordingly”, said A. Bilotaitė.
According to her, the evaluation of the Radviliškis district pilot project will be presented in the near future, at that time, S. Greičius indicated that the model has proven itself and is effective.
“In Radviliški, all incidents were responded to one hundred percent, two employees each, in all cases two employees were also on duty (…). The main thing is the safety of the residents and the safety of the firefighters themselves. It is clear that when firefighters arrive, they can perform firefighting and rescue work with a significantly higher quality, and their own safety is also significantly higher,” he said.
According to the head of the PAGD, 11 training programs also included training on how to work with hydraulic rescue equipment, defibrillators, organized stress management, suicide, recognition and prevention programs.
“For many firefighters, it was probably the most intense six months of training in their lives,” he said.
According to the Minister of the Interior, the pilot model will help to improve the training and equipment of Molėtai district municipal firefighters, raise their professional qualifications, increase their wages, and also ensure a more prompt response of the forces to disasters and provide a basis for further changes that increase public safety in the area.
“It was primarily a fear of the officers themselves. I must point out that the officers will be fired, as shown by the Radviliškis model, that not a single officer was fired, they all continue to work, they all received additional equipment, training, and also in terms of financial expression, their salaries increased to 200 euros”, – A. Bilotaitė spoke.
The country currently has a two-tiered fire safety and rescue system consisting of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD) and the Municipal Fire Services (SPT), but the Ministry of the Interior says that this model is insufficiently efficient and effective and proposes to replace it with this new initiative .
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What are the main concerns raised by local firefighters regarding the implementation of the unified fire and rescue service?
## Interview: Lithuania’s Unified Fire & Rescue Service
**Host:** Joining us today to discuss Lithuania’s new unified fire and rescue service model is the Minister of the Interior, Agnė Bilotaitė. Welcome, Minister.
**Bilotaitė:** It’s a pleasure to be here.
**Host:** Minister, can you tell our viewers about this new unified system and why it was implemented?
**Bilotaitė:** Certainly. Currently, Lithuania operates under a two-level Fire Safety Assurance System. This system, however, is inefficient, complicated, and costly. We realized that lives are at stake when emergency response is delayed, so we devised a centralized pilot model where state and municipal fire services are unified.
**Host:** This pilot project, started in Radviliškis district, seems to be successful. Can you elaborate on the benefits of this model?
**Bilotaitė:** The pilot model has allowed for faster response times, better equipped firefighters, and a wider range of rescue capabilities. This means people in need receive timely and effective assistance.
**Host:** Molėtai has recently become the second municipality to join this unified system. How has the response been from other municipalities?
**Bilotaitė:** We’ve invited municipalities to voluntarily participate in testing this system. Radviliškis has demonstrated its success, and we’re confident that more municipalities will adopt this new approach in the future.
**Host:** Concerns have been raised about the impact on local firefighters. What can you tell us about that?
**Bilotaitė:** We prioritize the well-being and security of our firefighters. The model ensures continued employment, improved working conditions, increased wages, and comprehensive training programs. We’ve worked closely with firefighters throughout this process, and their response has been overwhelmingly positive.
**Host:** what are your expectations for the future of the unified fire and rescue service in Lithuania?
**Bilotaitė:** We believe this new system represents a significant improvement in public safety. As we gather data from the pilot projects, we will refine the model and strive to implement it across Lithuania, ultimately ensuring faster, more efficient, and reliable emergency response for all citizens.
**Host:** Thank you for joining us, Minister Bilotaitė.
**Bilotaitė:** It was my pleasure.
