The Emergency Management Agency (AME) has opened a week of activities, showcasing the firefighting equipment, barrier teams, and teams for extinguishing forest fires. This event is organized for the first time since the establishment of the Emergency Management Agency, KosovaPress reports.
The Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, stated that the focus remains on strengthening the capacities of this Agency and Emergency Management.”With the challenges that global warming brings every year, the common focus remains strengthening AME’s capacity for the successful management of any situation. In this regard, I reaffirm our full readiness to support at any time and in any form. I highly value the activities of this week, which focus on communication with citizens because they remain the key component to face as few risks as possible caused by human factors, especially now as we enter the period of high temperatures, and fires remain a real and daily challenge,” Sveçla stated, KosovaPress writes.
According to him, educating the public on the prevention and response to natural disasters is essential.
“As the Minister of Internal Affairs, now Acting Minister, I am committed to deep reform and further strengthening of it. With the allied states of the Republic of Kosovo, we have signed agreements for mutual cooperation in managing natural disasters, and as a result of this agreement, a delegation led by Director Metaj participated in joint training with the forces of the Republic of Albania on responding to flood situations… On the other hand, during the last month, 51 firefighters and rescuers joined the agency as an added value and support to the current teams serving across the entire territory of the Republic of Kosovo. Additionally, by Lake Ujmani, we have created infrastructure for the EMA’s Search and Rescue Unit,” Sveçla added.
The Director of the Emergency Management Agency, Genc Metaj, said their mission is to lead and coordinate state efforts in prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery during emergencies.Video
“We are starting AME Week with a large number of activities, which will impact a significant portion of citizens throughout the country. Our goal is to influence awareness and consciousness, to be close to the citizens, to promote the role and importance of the agency, professional firefighting and rescue units, operational and emergency centers 112, protection, rescue and assistance structures, as well as the measures that need to be taken in the event of disasters, and especially to focus on preventing them,” he stated. He added that officials from the Emergency Management Agency and professional units will carry out important activities across the country.
