I. Metshin: “The allocation of 19 million for the construction of a fire water supply in Zaimishche is a small victory”

(KZN.RU, October 16, Alsu Safina). The work of the staff responsible for ensuring fire safety and the rainy summer contributed to reducing the fires recorded from January to September this year in the capital of Tatarstan, said Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, today on the Business Monday. For 9 months, 463 fires were registered in the city, which is 9.4% less than for the same period in 2016.

“These are serious questions. There is a tragedy behind every such case, and this tragedy could be avoided in the overwhelming majority of cases”, marked the Mayor.

Ilsur Metshin drew attention to the fact that, despite the reduction in the number of fires, the increase in the number of dead is very disturbing. Since the beginning of the year, 40 people were injured and 24 people were killed in fires, 15 of which were in a state of intoxication. “People are dying because of drinking. This can’t be called extraordinary or force majeure circumstances. It is causal, and people should be responsible”, believes the Mayor.

The head of the city noted that the private sector is at risk in fire safety. “Both the heads of districts’ administrations and the “Vodokanal” should continue systematic work in this direction”, marked the Mayor.

In his main report, Ferdinand Timurkhanov, the head of the Civil Protection Department, said that in the winter, preventive measures were taken in the residential sector during the heating season. The state of the gas equipment, electrical equipment, and wiring, heating systems was checked. Special brigades visited all private households in Kazan, as well as 5825 large families, 3597 single elderly citizens, 1039 living places for disadvantaged citizens.

F. Timurkhanov also said that long-term problems have been solved in a number of settlements. Water towers and Rozhnovsky towers, located in the residential areas of Shcherbakovo, Krasnooktyabrsky, Kadyshevo, Berezovaya Roshca are equipped with cranes for refilling fire trucks. Water supply networks and fire hydrants in the residential areas of Goluboe Lake and Vishnevka are brought to a technically sound condition.

The Mayor of Kazan called the planned allocation of 19 million rubles for the construction of fire water pipelines in the residential area Zaimishche another small victory. The corresponding decision was taken by the Cabinet of Ministers of the RT after the appeal of the city authorities on the allocation of funds for the elimination of deficiencies under the orders of supervisory authorities in 2017. “At present, the Kazan Executive Committee has determined the customer, the Department of Capital Construction. The financial department plans to gradually finance the work as the funds are received”, said the head of the Civil Protection Department.

He also drew attention to the fact that the budget of Kazan for 2017 does not provide for the costs of ensuring fire safety and safety of people at water objects. “I ask to find the possibility of including this article in the expenses of Kazan. This will make the work to maintain the city's fire prevention situation more systematically and effective”, said F. Timurkhanov.

“Unfortunately, the Ministry of Finance does not approve funds in the city budget for issues of a more global nature in this direction but we allocate annually 100 million rubles in the fund for emergency response”, said Ilsur Metshin.

At the end of the speech, the head of the Civil Protection Department called the construction of a fire station in the residential complex “Salavat Cupere”, piers for the entrances of fire trucks on the Glubokoe Lake and the Lebyazhie Lake among the tasks that need to be addressed. “The construction of these facilities will shorten the time-limit for the arrival of fire departments to settlements located in the areas of Lebyazhie, to the “Salavat Cupere”, and the residential area of Zalesny”, explained F. Timurkhanov.