On 5 July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved an information report prepared by the Ministry of the Interior on strengthening the capacity of rescue services, in particular the modernization of the infrastructure and material and technical base of the State Fire and Rescue Service and the implementation of investments. The purpose of the report is to inform about the measures and investments planned for the development of the disaster management system and the capacity building of the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) through the Recovery Fund.
The aim of the investments is to ensure equally efficient, rapid and high quality work of the services involved in disaster management throughout the territory of Latvia by improving cooperation and coordination between the services involved in response and disaster management. The investment will also result in improved working conditions for employees, including occupational safety, which will have a positive impact on employee satisfaction and recruitment.
It is planned to build eight new disaster management centres in Latvia (in addition to those already under construction), significantly increasing the size of the disaster management infrastructure. The total CO2 emission reductions from the construction of the 8 disaster management centres are expected to exceed the CO2 reductions that could be achieved from energy efficiency measures alone by 20.5% per year. However, the overall benefit will go beyond the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of the buildings in question, as the planned investments will also contribute to the economic recovery of the country after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The EU Recovery Fund will be used to build disaster management centres in Liepāja, Daugavpils, Madona, Alūksne, Līvāni, Salacgrīva, and possibly either Tukums and Talsi or Vilāni and Alsunga, where not only the State Police and the Emergency Medical Service are planned to be located in one place, but also the structural units of the State Border Guard, the Health and Sports Center of the Ministry of the Interior, the Information Center, the State Agency for Security and the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
For the development of the infrastructure of the interior sector, the construction of new disaster management centers in Kandava, Saulkrasti, Rūjiena, Aizpute, Priekule, Dagda, Ilūkste and Iecava is planned from the state budget. It is planned to place both the fire station and the structural units of the State Police and the Emergency Medical Service in one place in these centers.
Thus, the infrastructure and material and technical base of the SFRS will be modernized, taking into account that more than 80% of SFRS depot facilities were built between 1890 and 1960. According to the data of the State Construction Control Bureau, most of the existing SFRS depots have a high energy consumption - on average 205.83 kWh/m2 per year in total energy consumption, which consequently has a negative impact on the climate, therefore it is necessary to take measures that will ensure lower maintenance costs in the future, bring a greater reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a share of the overall green course of Latvia, while also improving the quality and speed of services equally throughout the territory of Latvia.
The infrastructure would enable the related disaster management centres to be more efficient and responsive in dealing with disasters and accidents, which would consequently reduce damage to nature and people while reducing GHG emissions from disasters and accidents, thus enabling the objectives set out in the Long-term Building Renewal Strategy, the National Energy and Climate Plan and the Latvian Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the period up to 2030 to be achieved.
Investing in the infrastructure of the SFRS will reduce the area burned by wildfires, reduce CO2 emissions and protect biodiversity. Wildfires are defined as the burning of peat, dry grass, undergrowth, brush, trees, cereal stubble, hay, rushes and reeds, forest undergrowth and individual trees.
The investments under the Recovery Fund are only part of a wider reform of disaster risk management, which includes the purchase of special vehicles and equipment, the introduction of information technology solutions, the implementation of preventive measures and structural reforms.