Approximately EUR 900 million has been allocated to defence and civil protection under the SAFE Programme, with Romania among the very few European countries to have included this sector among its beneficiaries, Raed Arafat, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), said on Monday.
He said the planned acquisitions would cover equipment addressing multiple types of risk.
"Our intervention and equipment concept is the All-Hazard, All-Risk Approach, meaning preparedness for any situation that may have an impact or consequences. The equipment we procure can be used in more than one scenario. This means our training and our equipment will serve us in multiple situations," Raed Arafat told a press conference at Victoria Palace of Government.
According to him, one of the projects promoted through the SAFE Programme provides for capabilities to transport multiple victims via different routes.
"This includes personnel transport vehicles and multiple-casualty transport units designed to carry nine victims at a time - nine injured, nine critical patients simultaneously. We are also acquiring five ambulances for transporting highly contagious patients, complementing those already available at regional level, as well as an intervention train designed to transport between 200 and 300 people," the head of the DSU said.
He also mentioned plans to acquire multi-role aircraft to be used for transporting multiple casualties, as well as for transporting materials and personnel, search-and-rescue missions and fighting forest fires, alongside medium-to-heavy helicopters.
"We are talking about seven medium-to-heavy helicopters - three designated for public order and four for civil protection and defence, all with multi-role capabilities. At least those intended for civil protection will be able to transport multiple casualties, fight forest fires and carry out search-and-rescue missions," Arafat explained.
He added that five light-to-medium helicopters are also to be procured. These will be used primarily for medical purposes, with a minimum transport capacity of two people, but will also be capable of carrying out other types of missions.
At the same time, the DSU head noted the planned acquisition of a flight simulator for the helicopter categories currently operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, aimed at improving the quality of human resources and reducing pilot training costs.
Another planned purchase involves two river search-and-rescue boats.
Arafat also highlighted equipment acquisitions under the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection concept.
"This includes collective protection tents against chemical, biological and radiological threats, management containers for firefighters - 15 intervention containers - various categories of protective equipment for firefighters operating in hostile environments, 15 population decontamination containers and another 15 containers for decontaminating infrastructure and equipment. In addition, there will be other types of detectors used by firefighters in their operations," the Secretary of State said.
He added that the programme also includes the acquisition of eight intervention robots for CBRN environments and drone systems for extinguishing fires at height, as well as drones intended to identify possible victims and hidden fire sources.
"We are talking about mini-drones that can be used in areas with collapsed buildings, capable of entering and searching inside structures. These drones have been validated in various situations and are extremely important, including in the event of earthquakes and building collapses," Arafat said.
Another concept under consideration concerns ensuring the continuity of public utilities within the energy system.
"This involves various categories of electric generators, in addition to those we currently have. We are talking about 100 generators of 250 kVA, 50 generators of 450 kVA and 50 generators of 700 kVA. This is the first time we will acquire 700 kVA generators, which will allow us to supply power to a larger area for a certain period until an emergency situation is resolved," he said.
In the area of critical communications, command and control, and civil protection warning systems, Arafat said plans include the acquisition of 20 specialised communications vehicles and a national integrated warning and alert system to replace outdated equipment, such as warning sirens, and move towards digital systems.
He also noted plans to purchase operational vehicles to increase military and personnel mobility. "We are talking about 150 four-wheel-drive vehicles, 42 transport vehicles with a capacity of 16+1, as well as other logistical support equipment for all types of operations, including mobile repair workshops and fuel tankers," Arafat added.
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