Schwerin/Malchin (dpa/mv) - Minister of the Interior Christian level (SPD) handed over the next delivery of new fire engines to the state's volunteer fire brigades in Malchin (Mecklenburg Lake District) on Friday. With the provision of a further 16 vehicles, 151 fire departments now had fire engines specially developed for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, explainedleve. According to him, they are primarily tailored to operations in rural areas, are equipped with modern fire-fighting and rescue technology and can also take fire-fighting water on board.
A total of 265 such vehicles are initially to be purchased. The purchase will be financed from the "Sustainable fire brigade" program. The state had made 50 million euros available from previous budget surpluses for this purpose. Depending on the financial resources of the supporting municipalities, the state will assume 70 to 80 percent of the acquisition costs.
After the end of the program in 2023, the state fire brigade association expects further state aid for the municipalities in order to reduce the investment backlog that has accumulated there for decades. Also in view of additional challenges in the course of climate change, a technical upgrade of the fire brigades is urgently needed, said association head Hannes Möller. According to the association, almost 26,000 firefighters are active in 947 volunteer fire departments throughout Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
