ZAGREB, Aug 18 (Hina) - Interior Minister Sime Lucin said on Monday he expected a new law would soon be adopted to eliminate all irregularities preventing state and local government units and firefighters from effectively
extinguishing bushfires.
ZAGREB, Aug 18 (Hina) - Interior Minister Sime Lucin said on Monday
he expected a new law would soon be adopted to eliminate all
irregularities preventing state and local government units and
firefighters from effectively extinguishing bushfires. #L#
Asked by reporters to assess the defence against fires in the
coastal area to date, Lucin said this year's season, which he
labelled extreme in terms of fires, had revealed certain
shortcomings in the current firefighting model.
The minister said he hoped the new law, which has been in procedure
for 18 months, would be adopted and the new model prove effective.
He said firefighters had given their maximum considering the
conditions at fire sites and the fact that recently more than 900
fires had broken out, including a dozen large ones.
Asked about the extent of his and government's responsibility and
why he did not visit the fire sites, Lucin said he did visit a number
of them this year but did not take reporters along to cover it.
The press also asked why some sort of crisis centre had not been set
up. The minister said that one was founded in Divulje, where there
was a firefighters headquarters and where he and everyone connected
with the fires stayed.
The interior minister said defence against and the putting out of
fires used to be better before responsibility was transferred onto
local authorities. The current model came into force in 2000 and
proved ineffective over the first year, which made the government
forward a new law into parliamentary procedure, he said.
Asked why parliament had not adopted the law yet, Lucin said the
question should be addressed elsewhere.
(hina) ha