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 fire rescue forces in 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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How does the centralized fire service system address the concerns of firefighters during the transition process?
## Lithuania’s Fire Service: An Interview on the Move Toward Centralization
Today, we have Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė and Molėtai District Mayor Saulius Jauneika joining us. Mr. Mayor, congrats on your district becoming the second in Lithuania to join the centralized fire service pilot program. Mayor Jauneika:
**Interviewer:** “Many are interested in how this new system will work. Can you walk us through the benefits for your district?”
**Mayor Jauneika:** “Of course, the key is collaboration. Under this model, our local fire service is integrated with the state’s Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD). This means coordinated actions, shared equipment and training, and shorter response times. We believe this will lead to higher quality service during emergencies and ultimately save lives.”
**Interviewer:** “And Minister Bilotaitė, this isn’t the first time a municipality has joined this pilot program. How has the experience been so far in Radviliškis?”
**Minister Bilotaitė:** “Indeed, Radviliškis began implementing this model in January 2023, and the results have been very positive. The pilot has shown significant improvements in response times and the ability to handle a wider range of rescue situations. It’s important to remember, the current two-level fire safety system is inefficient and costly. This centralizes structure allows for better resource allocation and streamlined operations.
**Interviewer:** “One thing that’s important to residents is ensuring stability for firefighters during this transition. Mr. Mayor, can you speak to how this new system affects the firefighters in Molėtai?”
**Mayor Jauneika:** “Absolutely. The concerns of our firefighters were carefully considered during this process. This agreement guarantees their employment, improves their working conditions, and offers further training opportunities. They’ll be working with top-of-the-line equipment, receive specialized training, and benefit from increased staffing, meaning there are always two firefighters on duty at a time. There was overwhelming support from the firefighters themselves for this move.”
**Interviewer:** “Minister Bilotaitė, what are the next steps for this pilot program? Will there be more municipalities joining?”
**Minister Bilotaitė:** “We’re committed to evaluating the Radviliškis pilot program thoroughly and sharing the findings. It’s about finding the best model for the entire country. We don’t expect every municipality to join right away, this is about careful evaluation and making informed decisions.”
**Interviewer:** “Mr. Mayor, lastly, what would you say to other municipalities who might be considering joining this program?”
Mayor Jauneika:** “I encourage them to look at the positive experience in Radviliškis and now Molėtai. This is about putting the safety of our citizens first by modernizing our fire service and ensuring the best possible response in times of need.”
Interviewer:** Thank you both for your time and insights. It seems Lithuania’s fire service is moving towards a brighter, more efficient future.
