OREANDA-NEWS. August 03, 2010. At a meeting with Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Sergei Shoigu, Dmitry Medvedev noted the need to create modern fire-fighting services and to re-equip the existing  brigades.

The President instructed the Emergencies Minister to draft the programme and stressed that separate funds should be reserved for the new facilities, special vehicles and aircraft.

The Minister briefed Dmitry Medvedev on the current fire situation. Mr Shoigu reported special Emergency Ministry teams were sent to the regions where a state of emergency was declared by the President’s executive order to oversee restricted access to forests and address social issues at the evacuees’ temporary accommodation. The federal operational headquarters continues to operate in Moscow, which monitors the situation in all regions. Aviation equipment proposed by Ukraine and Azerbaijan will be used to put out forest fires in Russia. The total number of aircraft involved in fire-fighting will be 60.

Before the meeting, Dmitry Medvedev visited a fire brigade built the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Imereti Valley, in the immediate vicinity of the sports facilities currently under construction. The President was shown new fire engines whose design is based on the KAMAZ truck, and visited a classroom and a recreation room. Two more fire brigades will operate in the same area to ensure the safety of the Olympic facilities.