Humanitarian Assistance for Latvian Fire and Rescue

Since Fall 2008, the US Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC Latvia) and the State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia (SFRS) have identified and submitted 10 civic engagement (Humanitarian Assistance) projects for renovations of fire stations all over Latvia. These are fire stations in the cities of Limbazi, Madona, Aizkraukle, Gulbene, Ķeipene, Liepāja, Līvāni, Strenči, Valka, and Ventspils. This year has been a true success for the cooperation between the ODC and SFRS -  two projects have been completed and contracts for the remaining 8 projects have been awarded and work has begun.

In July 2010, U.S. Ambassador to Latvia, Judith Garber; Rear Adm.William "Andy" Brown, EUCOM J4 (Logistics); and deputy chief of SFRS, colonel Intars Zitāns, participated in a ground breaking ceremony in Limbaži. It marked the start of a nearly $130,000 project that involved a renovation of a fire station that was built in 1970. Previously, all six fire trucks of the fire station were deployed through one gate at the end of the building. During the renovation, the gate was sealed and 3 new gates were installed in the wider wall of the station. Additional works included general patch and paint of the facility and paving the road in front of the new gates.

"This project was very important for us," said Limbaži fire station commander maj. Gvido Kins.  “The main focus of SFRS in last decade was renewing the equipment we had inherited from USSR, and often the situation with the facilities was put aside. Now, when we have our garage replanned and renovated, Limbaži firefighters can respond to calls more quickly”.

The other project completed in 2011 was the renovation of Madona fire station. The main focus there was to build a garage for a new fire truck, which would not fit into the existing garage due to height limitations. The new garage was built in the yard of the existing fire station. Additionally the existing gates of the old garage were replaced. Total cost of the project was more than  $131,000.

These projects help SFRS provide the services more efficiently, especially in view of constant threats our world is facing. State fire and Rescue service highly value ODC Latvia and EUCOM input, which helped Limbaži firefighters reduce response times and Madona firefighters receive a new fire truck.

Staņislavs Ļisovenko
Department of European and International Cooperation
Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service