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 activity of firefighters will more effectively and purposefully meet the expectations of the residents of the district in the event of an emergency and will contribute to the smoothness of rescue operations.
“Joint coordination of actions and joint coordination of preparations, provision of firefighters with special equipment and techniques, 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 the continuity of service were 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 included training on how to work with hydraulic rescue equipment, defibrillators, and 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, as well as 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-tier 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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How will the success of the pilot project in Radviliškis inform the wider implementation of the unified fire and rescue system?
I’m glad to help with that! Here’s a sample interview based on the information provided:
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Today we’re discussing an important development in Lithuania’s fire and rescue services. We have two guests with us today, Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė, and Saulius Jauneika, Mayor of Molėtai District. Thank you both for joining us.
**Minister Bilotaitė:** It’s a pleasure to be here.
**Mayor Jauneika:** Thank you for having me.
**Host:** Minister Bilotaitė, can you tell us about the new unified fire and rescue system and why Lithuania is adopting it?
**Minister Bilotaitė:** We’re seeing a crucial need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our fire safety system. The current two-level system is proving to be complex, costly, and slower to react in emergencies. Lives are at stake when it comes to getting help quickly during a fire or other disaster. This new unified system streamlines operations, improves coordination between firefighters, and ensures quicker response times by pooling resources.
**Host:** Mayor Jauneika, Molėtai is the second municipality to join this pilot program. What prompted this decision, and how have local firefighters responded?
**Mayor Jauneika:** We believe in the success of this initiative. We listened carefully to the concerns of our firefighters and worked to address them. The new system offers several benefits: better training, improved equipment, increased staffing levels, and higher salaries. This has created strong support among firefighters. Everyone understands the importance of prompt and effective response, and this system helps achieve that.
**Host:** Benefits seem clear, but any large-scale change presents challenges. What are some of the key considerations as we roll out this model nationwide?
**Minister Bilotaitė:** Right now, we’re focusing on evaluating the results of the Radviliškis pilot project, which started earlier this year. It’s critical that we thoroughly assess its impact before expanding it further. The social security of firefighters and ensuring continuity of service remain our top priorities. Based on the outcomes of the pilot project, we’ll be able to make informed decisions about wider implementation.
**Host:** Mr. Greičius, Director of the PAGD, spoke highly of the Radviliškis pilot, mentioning notable improvements in response times and firefighter preparedness. Can you elaborate on what’s been achieved so far?
**Minister Bilotaitė:** He’s right. The Radviliškis project has shown significant promise. We’ve seen 100% response to incidents with two firefighters per team always on duty. They’re also receiving extensive training, including working with new equipment, which enhances their overall preparedness and safety.
**Host:** Agreed, this sounds like a promising step forward for fire safety in Lithuania.
Thank you, Minister Bilotaitė and Mayor Jauneika, for giving us valuable insight into this essential initiative.
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