Warsaw. Volunteer firefighters need the votes of the people. They fight for new vehicles and equipment

On June 15 at midnight it started voting in the jubilee 10th edition of the participatory budget. Every citizen of Warsaw can vote, regardless of whether they are registered in Warsaw or not. Minors can also vote. You can vote in the traditional version: at the district office or online, via part of the Public Budget. Voting will last until June 30, midnight, and the results will be announced on July 13 at the Palace of Culture and Science.

Volunteer Fire Brigades operating in Warsaw – TSO Wesoła, TSO Radość, TSO Białołęka and TSO Ursus – submitted two projects to the civic budget. As they say, they faced a huge challenge. “The TSO units that voluntarily guard safety, taking active part in hundreds of actions a year, need tens of thousands of votes to be able to go to action with new and efficient fire trucks!” – they write on social media.

Firefighters need votes that will enable the purchase of rescue and firefighting vehicles, thanks to which they will be able to operate effectively during the operation and help residents. Both submitted projects are citywide. They can be found in the Participatory Budget under numbers 457 and 599.

– The projects we promote give residents the opportunity to decide whether they would like to use funds from the city budget to equip the fire department or whether there is a need for security – explains Marek Przybysz, a firefighter and co-author of one of the submitted projects, in an interview with tvnwarszawa.pl. Firefighters want the equipment they use to be new and of the best quality to serve the rescuers, but also the residents.

– Anyone who dials 112 expects fully professional and quick help, they do not choose whether a state or voluntary unit will reach them. The entire Warsaw guard is one body, and the projects will enable it to be equipped to the highest standard – explains the firefighter.

The first of the projects is “the purchase of four medium-sized rescue and firefighting vehicles for the needs of fire protection units”. – These are ordinary fire trucks that residents see every day on the streets of Warsaw. They have a cabin for six people in the front and a compartment for equipment and water in the rear. In simple terms, it can be said that due to their universality, they are used to combat events such as fires or accidents – explains Przybysz.

As we read on the participatory budget website, “it is to respond to the needs of residents in terms of a sense of security, as well as real action in the field of providing the necessary assistance on the occasion of various threats”. It is also – as firefighters declare – educational in nature, “in which residents will be able to acquire knowledge and skills in the field of rules of conduct in the event of natural disasters and other local threats”.

The cost of this project is PLN 6 million.

The second project supported by volunteer firefighters is “the purchase of four light technical rescue vehicles for the needs of fire protection units”. These are vehicles adapted to transport mainly technical equipment in the loading part. – They look a bit like a delivery vehicle. The project also involves the purchase of additional equipment for their interiors – explains Przybysz. He adds that the equipment will provide the city’s residents with the highest standard of fire protection.

It is, among others, a module with aggregates needed in the event of a power failure. As firefighters explain, another of the sets will be used to remove the effects of fires, e.g. flooding, resulting, for example, from fire damage to commonly used PVC pipes. – These are the so-called water vacuum cleaners and heaters. Thanks to them, we will be able to remove water from those spaces where it should not be, and heaters will help dry the apartment. The third module is a smoke removal kit, electric, eco-friendly and exhaust-free. It will be used, for example, to ventilate apartments – describes the fireman.

He adds: – This proposal is more than just putting out the fire, but also removing its most onerous effects, especially in multi-family buildings.

The cost of this project is PLN 1 million 440 thousand.

If the project is implemented, the purchased vehicles will be used in the area of ​​Warsaw and will be stationed in places specified in the lending agreement. The project states that they will go to fire protection units. The final decision on which units will receive vehicles will be made by the Capital Security Centre. – We hope that they will be used by the TSO, whose members actively help in the promotion of the project, such as the TSO Wesoła, Radość, Ursus and the young unit in Białołęka, which are bound by contracts with the city in terms of tasks under the TSO Act – says Przybysz.

As the fire department explains, the fact that someone does not live in the district where the volunteer unit is located does not mean that they will not use these vehicles. – We carry out interventions throughout the city, very often outside the districts where the watchtowers are located, so the purchase of these cars will definitely benefit everyone. On our website ospwesola.pl we keep statistics with a map, where you can see where we have been in previous years and how much there is. We are certainly leaders in Poland in this respect, and the number of events is unlikely to decrease – emphasizes the firefighter.

How exactly does the Volunteer Fire Department acquire equipment and vehicles? – In Warsaw, the TSO units do not have the budget to purchase vehicles on their own – explains Przybysz. He adds that most often volunteers receive cars that previously served in units of the State Fire Service. As he explains, these vehicles have a limited lifespan, typically around 10-12 years before the car can be handed over to volunteers.

– They often require operational repairs and adaptation to our needs, but in recent years we have been making every effort to acquire or receive new vehicles for use. We obtain and maintain other necessary equipment from the budget of Warsaw and other subsidies – explains Przybysz. And he emphasizes that with about 2,400 interventions that volunteer firefighters carry out in Warsaw, new cars are worth their weight in gold.

Firefighters assure that voting is easy. – You enter the vote on the participatory budget website. Enter your email in the pop-up window. It comes with a link to vote. Residents can choose up to 15 district projects and up to 10 citywide projects, which also include ours, i.e. 457 and 599. This voice is very important to us. The equipment will help us protect our beloved city 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – says the firefighter. You can also vote at the district office.

How many votes do firefighters need to implement their projects? – A lot of votes are needed. It may be around 10-15 thousand, Przybysz supposes. However, the number of votes needed depends on how many other projects get.

The firefighter emphasizes: – We also encourage residents to choose something in their neighborhood apart from our projects. Something to change her. There are many projects to beautify the space and increase safety.