Fighting weather disasters - Serbia gets five regional centers for emergency situations, first to open in Zajecar

(future look of the Regional Center in Vranje)

It is neither euro exchange rate nor inflation but rain that scares Serbia the most in the last few days. An unprecedented flood has been devastating Hungary for days, and it was expected that the Danube River would reach its highest level in our country on Friday. People of Beocin were evacuated last week, but the inhabitants of Indjija, Apatin, Banovci and Stara Pazova are also worried.

"Watching the sky" has become our national sport. And while we all hope that weather disasters will bypass us this time, eKapija has done a research to learn how far our country has come with the construction of a network of regional centers for emergency situations, a project announced last year.

Regional centers should be formed in Novi Sad, Loznica, Uzice, Zajecar, and Vranje with the original plan being to open them all by mid-2014.

Zajecar first in the line

The problem with floods, which has not been losing relevance for years, is only one of the hardships our country is facing. Every summer fires destroy hectares of forests, rehabilitation of numerous landslides is still not regulated, the public alarm system has not been modernized for decades...

(the Center for Emergency Situations in Zajecar almost finished)

After Serbia was hit by several natural disasters in the last few years, a decision has been made to build five regional centers in the areas particularly sensitive to emergency situations in addition to the National Center for Emergency Situations in Nis, and to complete their construction and equipping with infrastructure by mid-2014.

This program is defined and financed by the Ministry of Regional Development in association with the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Sector for Emergency Situations.

The aim of the establishment of regional centers for emergency situations is to raise the level of security of citizens, that is, to enable primarily fire and rescue units to give as quick and efficient response as possible to all kinds of emergency situations, natural and other disasters.

- Aside from the fact that these facilities should accommodate operational units of the Sector for Emergency Situations, they would also serve as a place to hold training and educational courses - representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told eKapija.

- How quickly this project will be implemented mainly depends on the money available - they added.

As people at the Ministry of Regional Development explained to us, works are currently underway in Zajecar, Uzice, and Vranje.

The Regional Center for Emergency Situations in Zajecar is almost completed.

- Vocational-construction and installation works are yet to be finished and so are access roads and the facility's exterior. Former Ministry for National Investment Plan (NIP) has so far invested over RSD 89 million in the construction of this regional center - said people at the Ministry of Regional Development.

(the Vranje Center will feature a heliport)

Branislav Matic, director of the Zajecar Fire and Rescue Unit, told eKapija that the plan was to resume the work in 2013, adding that the Center would accommodate all rescue agencies.

Works in Vranje to commence soon

Preliminary designs for the Regional Center in Vranje are already finished with its construction scheduled to commence as soon as ongoing preparation of final designs is completed, people at the Ministry of Regional Development told us.

As it was published, preparation of preliminary and final designs is entrusted to architects from Nis - the Kapaproject architectural bureau and its subcontractors SZR Temering and Pro-metan.

According to preliminary designs, the Center will cover a surface area of about 4,500 square meters with its major part to be occupied by the fire and rescue unit. There will also be an observatory, a manipulation area as well as a heliport.

The Center will accommodate all rescue agencies, which is why it will also feature an administration building. The complex will comprise a parking lot and a park, while all additional facilities will be defined later.

(administration building)

Preparation of the project and technical documentation for the Center in Uzice is also underway. It should be situated on the site of the former barracks.

People at the Ministry of Regional Development confirmed to our web portal that they would finance the construction of aforementioned two centers, but they did not tell us the value of the projects.

M.S.