At first, there were plans to build a tunnel connecting the fire department and the new civil protection and disaster relief centre, but these plans seem to have been abandoned. “We’re addressing three problems here. We’re trying to improve fire safety conditions, conditions for our firefighters, for the civil protection agency, and for humanitarian organizations – chiefly the Red Cross,” said Anton Balažek, the mayor of Lendava.

Štefan Šinko of the local Red Cross chapter in Lendava said that they too have been attempting to acquire a more suitable building: “We distribute more than 100 tons of food each year. Food has to be properly stored, so we’ve had to move several times. Currently, the food is stored in an abandoned high school building, but we can’t wait to move to the new building.” Indeed, the old high school in Lendava isn’t the best place to store food, as the rooms are damp and there is no electricity. The volunteer fire brigade in Lendava currently serves 16 local communities. They often help professional fire fighters, even though that’s not within their authority. “If we get a call for help, we just want to go out there and help,” said Ladislav Bažika, head of the volunteer fire brigade in Lendava.

Two years ago, a fire broke out at Varis, a maker of prefabricated bathrooms in Lendava. “In 2016, there was an explosion at our factory, and the volunteer fire brigade as well as the professional fire brigade responded very quickly. I’m eternally grateful to them. Had they not responded as quickly as they did, the damage would have been much greater,” said Sabina Sobočan, general manager of Varis.

Government should allocate more money to fire departments
The Municipality of Lendava and local entrepreneurs believe that the government should allocate more money to professional fire brigades stationed around industrial parks, and make sure they have enough equipment. “I think that the government should allocate more money to fire departments. Some of the money we pay towards social security should go to fire departments. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not talking about a new tax. I’m talking about a reallocation of funds. The government doesn’t pay enough attention to industrial parks where fire hazards are a real problem. We have to deal with many hazardous materials. Most companies here have solar panels on their roofs, and I don’t know what would happen if a fire broke out. It’s sad that we don’t care about these things until something bad happens. It’s a shame, really,” said Sobočan.

“It takes the volunteer fire brigade in Lendava up to seven minutes to arrive on scene,” said Bažika, adding: “We have 13,000 litres of water and a 32-metre ladder. We have enough equipment, but we’d like more young people to join our ranks. What’s more, the fire station in Lendava isn’t large enough to house all the fire trucks because it was built in 1953 when fire trucks were smaller and narrower. I’m really looking forward to the new civil protection and disaster relief centre because it will have enough space for all our fire trucks.”