Fire Services in different cities of Albania face equipment and a fleet of extremely outdated vehicles, highlighting a widespread problem of lack of investment in civil emergency infrastructure. Although local budgets are obliged by law to provide funds for emergency Services, the investment remains insufficient, leaving firefighters to fight the flames with makeshift means. The oldest fire engine in service, a 1966 Saviem, highlights a wider problem within the country's firefighting infrastructure: a fleet in dire need of modernisation.
Author: Vivian Mancellari
Fire Services in Albania operate with equipment that looks more like a museum than a modern emergency response team. The oldest vehicle in service, an S-5 Saviem, ladder truck from 1966, symbolizes a wider problem within the country's firefighting infrastructure, with almost 58 years of service. Despite efforts, the aging fleet raises questions about safety and efficiency.
Despite laws requiring local budgets to allocate funds to emergency Services, investment remains insufficient, leaving firefighters to fight fires with relics of the past.
"Vehicle type S-5 Saviem (auto-scale), with no. chassis 1531267, produced in 1966, has arrived at the Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Berat according to order no. 173, dated 31. 08. 1999, of the Minister of Public Order as assistance from the association Firefighters without borders, France. The vehicle has no license plates, the insurance was terminated on 20.12.2009 and expires on 19. 12. 2010. After that, the insurance was not terminated. The vehicle was manufactured in 1966. It is used in cases of fires and rescues at heights.
This firefighting vehicle is in the service of Berat firemen, where, even though it has been produced for 58 years, it continues to serve in the fight against fire in Albania. But this tool, even though it is the oldest in use by the firefighting forces in Albania, is not the only one.
According to the data provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture near 18 municipalities in the country, it turns out that some of the firefighting and auxiliary vehicles for the fight against fire are too old to meet the technical standards.
Bledar Bajrami, the head of the Firefighters Union, says that these tools do not meet the necessary standards, raising the concern that the firefighting tools do not pass the technical control procedures provided for by the law.
"If these have approved the car, I resign as the head of the union!", - says Bajrami for ACQJ.
"It is not by word of mouth, it is by laws. They are laws written in blood, so there is dies another one from that car, which they don't have left the brakes", adds the head of the Firefighters' Union.
Ancient fleet in modern times
A depreciated fleet is the reflection of the entire fire service in the country, where there are also cases where, although the vehicle was purchased in recent years, it was manufactured more than a decade ago.
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Gjirokastër currently has 4 firefighting vehicles and 3 support vehicles. The oldest is a fire engine, type Benz, of production year 1984 and younger is a pick-up truck, typ Jeep, produced in 2008. According to the Municipality of Gjirokastra, these vehicles are old and often have problems.
The situation is similar in Vlora, where the fire service currently has 7 firefighting and support vehicles for the fight against fire. The oldest is a utility vehicle, type Benz, manufactured in 1978, imported from the Austrians in 2013, which only has the insurance. The youngest is the type vehicle Benz Ateron, of production year 2012, with old circulation permit. Also, the Directorate of Fire Protection and Rescue at the Municipality of Vlora emphasizes that these tools are not sufficient.
In the Municipality of Saranda, which is one of the most favorite coastal cities and where during the summer season the population of the city increases several times, there are 4 firefighting vehicles at the disposal of the fire service, of which 2 are donations and 2 were purchased by the municipality. as well as one is an auxiliary vehicle. The oldest of these vehicles is a fire engine, typ Magirus, manufactured in 1984, which was a gift from Greece in 2006. This tool is without documentation and in poor working condition. The youngest is a utility vehicle, type Mitsubishi, manufactured in 2004, which, according to the Municipality of Saranda, is in very good working condition.
In the city of Kukës, there are only two firefighting vehicles, both manufactured in 2008, which have not undergone technical inspection and have unpaid taxes. The municipality itself says for ACQJ that these means are insufficient to respond to emergency situations, mainly for the summer period, fires in forests and pastures. The MOH service of the Municipality of Lushnja has at its disposal two fire extinguishers with regular documentation; VEHICLE Renault, with year of production 1996 and vehicle type Ford, with a production year of 2021. The Ministry of Health of the Municipality of Lushnja also has 4 fire extinguishers out of order, which belong to the years of production 1946 and 1976.
3 firefighting vehicles and 1 vehicle are on standby at the Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Lezhë SUV. The oldest among them is a fire engine, typ Steyr, manufactured in 1977 and newer, a fire engine type Isuzu, manufactured in 2022. There are three firefighting vehicles and two emergency vehicles in Mirdita. The oldest among these vehicles are two fire engines of the production year 1985 and the newest is a SUV pickup, of production year 2019.
In Elbasan since 2018, 4 firefighting vehicles, a water truck, a ladder truck and a truck are available, which is currently out of order. Among these tools, the oldest is the fire engine, typ Benz, of production year 1986 and the youngest is the type firefighting vehicle Renault, manufactured in 1998. A similar situation can be seen in the Municipality of Korça, where the fire service has 8 vehicles available, of which 6 fire engines, 1 rescue vehicle and 1 vehicle pickup. The oldest among them is the brand's fire engine Denisa, manufactured in 1970. The newest are the two type fire extinguishers MAN and the tool pick up, all three produced in 2021.
In the capital of the north, Shkodër, there are 7 fire engines, 1 autobot and an auto-ladder, among which the oldest is the type Benz with production year 1977 and newer, type tools Land-Rover and Fiat Iveco, both manufactured in 1995. According to the Ministry of Education, Shkodër, these tools are in working condition, but with almost total depreciation. In Durrës, which is one of the largest cities in the country and one of the most urbanized cities, 4 fire engines, 1 autobot, 1 auto-ladder, 1 vehicle for logistic movement and 2 rescue boats operate. The Fire Department of the coastal city states that the vehicles are depreciated.
The municipality of Finic has 3 fire engines in its inventory, two purchased in 2018 and one donated by the Greek government in 2017. These vehicles belong to the production years 1984 and 1986. The newest vehicle in the fleet of vehicles of the Municipality of Finic is a tool pickup, dude Ford, manufactured in 2013. The municipality of Pustec has at its disposal 1 fire-fighting vehicle, manufactured in 1986. The municipality of Konispol has 1 fire-fighting vehicle, type IVECO Fiat, manufactured in 2005. According to these municipalities, the means are not sufficient to respond to emergency situations. The municipality of Selenica has only one fire extinguisher, manufactured in 1980 and considered insufficient for emergency situations.
In such a situation, strong suspicions arise that the municipalities do not have the opportunity to keep the fire service close to them, since this situation has not changed for several years. Law on Civil Protection obliges all municipalities to direct 4% of their annual budget towards this amortized sector, but very vital for the safety of citizens' lives and property.
"There is enough budget in the Municipality of Tirana. If only the part of 4%, which is dedicated on the basis of law 45/2019 for Emergencies, if it is financed and supported, the Fire Service and Civil Emergencies should be very modern", says the former head of Civil Emergencies, Mr. Shemsi Prençi.
Equipment and human resources in short supply
One breathing apparatus for 13 firefighters is in the inventory of Pustec firefighters. In Konispol, fire-resistant clothing does not exist, while in the inventory there are only 3 gas masks for 14 firefighters. The situation is the same in the Municipality of Selenica, where uniforms and specialized masks are missing.
The chairman of the Firefighters' Union, Mr. Bledar Bajrami raises another concern regarding breathing apparatus. According to him, even those devices that exist are uncertified.
"Many firefighters in the fire have had their oxygen cylinders blocked. You calculate, you will enter a 10-story building, you go to the fifth floor, it's all smoke, your breathing apparatus is blocked, what are you going to do? The only solution was that the friend took off his mask and they breathed with each other, until they went downstairs", says Bajrami.
The former director of DPMZSH (General Directorate of Fire Protection and Rescue), Holta Komino, admits that the individual equipment of the service employees of MZSH has many problems and that due to the year of production it is impossible to test and maintain for breathing apparatus sets.
"The personal clothes, PPE, are inappropriate for the body measurements of the employees of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Most personal clothing, PPE, is donated and past its service life. The sets of breathing apparatus are of different brands and years of production, which makes their testing and maintenance impossible," Komino told ACQJ.
Firefighters throughout Albania still lack tools, specialized uniforms or even buildings, as in the case of Lezha, which does not have a fire station, but has a rental facility. On the other hand, the Municipality of Shkodra and that of Korça emphasize the need to build new fire stations.
In such a situation, which is spread over the entire territory of the country, the experts say that a new strategy for evaluating human and technical capacities in relation to urban developments is required.
"Tirana, the metropolis, can no longer be satisfied with 6 Fire Service stations, maybe there should be 8, there should be 10. Durrës has a very big development, maybe there should be a separate station for Sukthi, because, how to arrive from Durrës to Sukth, everything is burnt", says Shemsi Prençi.
The General Directorate of the MOH, which is part of foreign, different projects and which focuses on the increase of firefighting capacities, announces plans for the establishment of new firefighting stations in the next three years.
"Within the UNDP project, Raising the capacities of the fire service, which is financed by the Polish government, it is planned to build 3 fire stations. In the framework of the cooperation between the General Directorate of MOH, AKMC and Defense Cooperation Office (OD C) we are in the process of identifying and building two fire stations during the year 2024-2026", DPMZSH replied to ACQJ.
Currently, the Municipality of Gjirokastra does not have specialized fire-resistant uniforms for fire service employees.
In Saranda, according to the official answers, based on the situation, climatic changes and the increase in population during the summer season, the capacities of the MOH sector should be increased in human resources, tools, materials and special firefighting equipment. Even in Kukës, human resources are insufficient, according to the response of the Ministry of Education and Culture in this municipality. The same situation is in Lushnja. Meanwhile, in Lezha, the fire service says it needs 2 new fire engines and a ladder truck.
Even the lack of means for fighting fires from the air continues to be a problem, according to the chairman of the Firefighters' Union, Bledar Bajrami: "Helicopters are needed, because you can't put out a fire 10 meters, 20 meters with a backpack. Helicopters, that are, are not for that job. It's him cougar-i, which can help, but a fixed helicopter must come for that job".
Officials versus experts
According to the former head of DPMZSH, Holta Komino, the general situation of the Fire Service today in the Republic of Albania does not meet the required standards, compared to the countries of the European Union.
"The current state of the infrastructure in general and the necessary tools and equipment of the fire stations of the municipalities in particular for the development of the activity and the fulfillment of the tasks according to the required standards is presented with deficiencies, comparing it with the EU countries", - Komino says about ACQJ.
Asked about the problems in the fire service sector in the country: about the deficiencies in firefighting equipment and specialized clothing, as well as about the lack of investment for the renewal of the firefighting fleet, the former head of the DPMZSH, Holta Komino, removes the responsibility from herself, citing the law, which leaves this responsibility to the municipalities.
The same is the answer from the new director of the Fire Service, Arben Cara, who also refers to law no. 152/2015, where it is determined in article 9 that the authority responsible for the infrastructure of the fire service is the mayor.
"In letter "a" and "b" of Article 9:
The mayor has the following responsibilities:
a) takes measures for the construction and completion with tools and equipment of the stations for extinguishing fires and rescue, of the service of the MOH in the territory of the municipality, according to the standards and norms in force;
b) plans the funds for the MOH service from the municipality's budget for each year", says Cara, adding that there have actually been partial investments in the renewal of the firefighting fleet, both from the municipalities and from projects from the UNDP. Japanese Embassy, TAP, etc.
Mayors also make experts responsible for the state of the fire service. The head of the Firefighters' Union, Bledar Bajrami, says that the fire service is at the mercy of the mayors: "From the administrative side, depending on the municipalities that have passed us now, what is done in the mayor's heart", - concludes he.
Further, Bajrami describes the deplorable conditions where the staff of professional firefighters work and are housed in the country's municipalities, bearing in mind that this is a 24-hour service.
"We have firefighters who are in miserable conditions, in scandalous conditions, in conditions where they cannot go to the toilet, who have left 3, 4 people in a room. There they will enter with fire clothes, there they will change, there they will wash... Most of the Services in the municipality have a room", says the head of the Firefighters' Union, Bledar Bajrami.
Even though the officials point the finger at the mayors, the state of the fleet and the fire service in the Republic of Albania was like this even before the decentralization of this service. This is clearly seen from the data discussed above regarding the relic tools that the fire service has taken with them until today.
The former director of DPMZSH informs that, for the identified problems and the need for regulatory improvements, a working group has been set up for the drafting of proposals for legal changes, at the initiative of the Minister of the Interior: "Looking at the optics of the developments and the emerging problems within the framework of the improvements in the service structure of the MOH at the local level, during the 6-year period (2016-2022), a period in which the service of the MOH continues to depend on the mayor, the fact of improvements is evident regulatory, for which already with the initiative of the Minister of the Interior, a working group has been set up for the drafting of proposals for legal changes".
Investments for the modernization of the fire service and for meeting their needs are large, but it is an investment, which appears as an emergency, due to the consequences it may have in the lives of citizens, but also in material damages.
This article is part of the Investigative Journalism Laboratory project, which is financially supported by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State.
