Dresden (dpa/sn) - With a total of 55 million euros so far, the Free State is promoting investments in fire protection in 2022 and 2023. Forest fires show how important comprehensive fire protection is, said Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) on Monday, according to a statement in Dresden. He thanked "all the forces who are fighting the forest fires on the Saxony-Brandenburg border with a high level of personal commitment and sometimes beyond the limits of their capacity".
According to the ministry, the state directorate was already allocated 21 million euros for 2022 and 11 million euros in advance authorizations to continue financing projects in 2023 at the beginning of the month. This has now been followed by a further around 19 million euros for 2022 and an additional four million euros in advance authorizations. The money is used for fire brigade equipment houses or for the procurement of emergency vehicles and equipment.
According to Schuster, the funds estimated for 2022 for the investment promotion of fire protection are available in full, plus advance authorizations of currently around 15 million euros. "Fire departments are a mainstay of our security structure," he said. Good equipment is "a mandatory prerequisite for successfully coping with missions like the ones we are currently seeing". The funding will now be passed on to the districts - the money then distributed according to priority lists drawn up in advance.
