Rescuers are not able to find an agreement
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The National Audit Office of Lithuania evaluated operation of the management systems for national emergency situations. Emergency situations may be caused by fire, disasters, terrorist acts, explosions, riots, as well as other reasons. Their management is assigned to civil protection and rescue system institutions: Emergency Commission under the Government, Ministry of the Interior, Fire and Rescue Department, as well a other institutions and departments. Furthermore, a crisis management system is being developed for management of critical and emergency situations. |
According to the Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė, audit results showed that currently two unco-ordinated programmes are being implemented: programmes for development of crisis management and civil protection and rescue systems, which means that the use of public resources may be uneconomical and unreasonable. Concept of crisis is not yet defined, therefore it is not clear how it differs from emergency situation. Criteria for declaring these situations are not regulated, therefore help may come late. As Ms Budbergytė stressed, it is necessary to develop general rescue system. It needs reconciliation of legislation provisions, drawing-up and approval of National Defence Plan for Emergency (Crisis) Situations, regulation of conditions for declaration and calling off of emergency situation, functions and responsibility of the responsible persons.
In the opinion of auditors, procedures for recruitment of forces for elimination
of emergency situation are too complicated. As a result, when the fire started
in a moor in Rokiškis Region last summer, the required forces for fighting the
fire were recruited only on the third day, because locally available forces were
insufficient, and a decision to invite extra forces was made too late.
So far the responsible institutions have not made a decision on the further use
of shelters. Condition of the existing shelters is bad, therefore in the case of
emergency it will not be possible to use many of them for the intended purpose.
It is estimated that only about 4 per cent of the population could be protected
in them.
Full report is available in Lithuanian:
Organization of management of emergency situations