Minister Maintains Support for Fire Station Closures After Tragic Late Arrival
Interior Minister Ken-Marti Vaher said a fatal fire on Tuesday, at which rescuers arrived only half an hour after an emergency call was made, was an unfortunate but rare incident.
"There were several simultaneous rescue operations,” Vaher told ERR radio. "It was a very unusual incident and it certainly does not mean that the capacity of emergency services is lacking.”
The site of the fire in Tõrva was tragically just a kilometer away from the nearest fire station, according to ETV, but the fire trucks didn't arrive until 27 minutes later from other stations 30 and 40 kilometers away. There was one fatality, while two people made it out alive.
When the emergency call from Tõrva was made, the local fire brigade was already dispatched to fires in two other rural municipalities - where one fire station has been closed and another is closure is pending.
Due to budget cuts and to more efficient organization of resources, the Rescue Board is closing nine fire stations this month. The more fortunate of the municipalities will establish volunteer brigades.
Vaher, whose ministry oversees the Rescue Board, says restructuring will improve the responsiveness of emergency services because, although there will be fewer fire stations, the number of fully-equipped stations will increase.