In Volyn near the border with Belarus, a fire station is being closed: local residents are raising the alarm.

One of the fire stations will be closed in the Volyn region

Lyubov Pavlik, the village head of Vetly, reported that the 23rd post of the 12th unit of the 4th State Emergency Service is planned to be closed in the village of Vetly in the Volyn region. This news has alarmed the community as the distance to the nearest fire station will be about 45 km, which may complicate response to emergencies.

The fire station in Vetly was opened in September 2007 because the village is located far from district centers. At the beginning of its operation, it served 10 settlements, but since 2019 this number has been reduced to 5. Currently, nine people work at the post, including the chief.

They have been telling us for a long Time that the post will be closed. But now rumors have come to the point that this post has even been included in the staffing table, and it turns out that this post actually does not exist

According to Lyubov Pavlik, the reason for the closure of the fire station may be the lack of funding. The main department of the State Emergency Service of the Volyn region wants to transfer funding to the local community, but due to the limited financial resources of the village council, this becomes a challenging task.

They are offloading it onto local self-government. They want the village council to take over the financing and fund (the fire station, - Glavkom)

The village of Vetly, with a population of 1800, requires prompt assistance from rescuers, especially in case of emergencies. The closure of the fire station could be dangerous for the community, as the nearest station will be about 45 km away, and there is not always convenient access to it.

If it is closed, then our settlement will be very far from the nearest fire station, about 45 km. There are no roads there at all. It takes one or two hours to get there. But it is necessary for rescuers to arrive within 20 minutes to the village

The village head emphasized that the rescuers from the post in the village of Vetly serve nearby settlements using local roads. But even to reach the nearest villages located 15-20 kilometers away, they cannot always make it within 20 minutes.

So what can we say now? That a car will arrive from Lyubeshev in 20 minutes? I think now is not the time to close (the fire station, - Glavkom)

It is reminded that in June 2024, a decision was made to reserve 90% of the workers of the State Emergency Service and the National Police. 10% of the employees of the State Emergency Service have the choice to be mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, or the State Border Service.