Six volunteers sign up to help Pristina firefighters

This year, the Voluntary Firefighting and Rescue Association was founded, and with it came the call for volunteers to join the firefighting effort.

3 days after the call, 6 people came and registered as volunteers at the Fire Brigade facility in Pristina, says Bajram Rexhepi, president of this association. He says that he was surprised by the willingness of the volunteers to become part of the firefighters, even some of them were elderly and had health problems.

"This association was necessary many years ago, but this year we managed to form it, now we have started registering new volunteer firefighters, where so far 6 volunteer firefighters have applied, among them there were some with illnesses, but they are very willing, we are obliged to also request a medical certificate if the doctor allows them, I hope to have even more interest and we look forward to them becoming heroes of their community", said Rexhepi.

Rexhepi says that volunteers can do their professional work wherever they are, and in cases where their help is needed they will be called for emergency intervention.

"Volunteers can do another job, but also volunteer for the firefighters, we expect to have a larger number. They can report as much as they want, we only call them when we need them, there are also benefits, even though they are volunteers, they will be paid for the work they will be active in," he stated.

E Malë Gashi, commander of the Pristina Fire Brigade, says that such assistance has been more than necessary, especially in this recent period when the need for additional staff to extinguish fires was great.

"The voluntary and necessary association that assists the brigade helps us to have a culture of volunteerism of people who want to contribute and to respond to cases when there is the greatest need. This year we have had a lot of need for help, we have had interventions in mountainous areas, but even if we have enough staff, we still need new capacities," said Gashi.

Gashi invites everyone to join this initiative and provide their assistance in emergency cases, who will also receive training in advance on how to intervene in such cases.

"The formation of the association is the competence of the municipality, where there was an opportunity to do it earlier but it was not done, and now we have started, and seeing the willingness of people to help us in such cases, citizens will also receive the necessary training to know how to react correctly in cases of fire, accidents or perhaps even earthquakes," he added.

The idea for such a call had been around for a long time. Lulzim Fushtica, director of Security and Emergency in Pristina, says that as soon as the call was published, there was immediate interest from volunteer women and men to understand more about the conditions.

"The association has been part of the plan for a long time, the call for membership has been open for a few days and we are surprised that we have such a large number of citizens who have expressed their willingness to be part of providing firefighting services. We have always had citizens who have helped us in emergencies, but with the opening of the calls we have had interested women and men," said Fushtica.

Fushtica says that the Municipality has earmarked a special budget for volunteers and all those who register will be offered a modest cost as a reward for the hours they have provided assistance.

"Last year and this year, we have allocated a special budget just for this association, where uniforms and equipment will be purchased for volunteers and they will be certified and accredited similarly to firefighting professionals. Volunteers will be paid for the hours they work, and for those hours they work, they are paid based on the law on firefighting and rescue," he added.

In the announcement made a few days ago by the capital - Pristina, it is stated that the community needs people who act in cases of fires or disasters, for a quick and effective response and for a new generation prepared to help.