OSCE Mission to Skopje supports fire prevention campaign

SKOPJE, 30 July 2008 - Educating citizens on fire prevention and contributing to a safer environment are the aims of a nationwide campaign launched today in the Mogila municipality, Bitola.

The project, following an earlier initiative of the Interior Ministry's Crisis Management Center, is supported by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje.

"Through the existing network of Citizens Advisory Groups and the newly-established Local Prevention Councils in the municipalities, citizens will learn how to prevent forest fires and what to do in case of fire," said Raymond Hirons, the Mission's Acting Head of the Police Development Department.

In summer 2007, characterized as one of the driest and hottest in the country's history, at times there were 67 separate forest fires burning concurrently. In total, 620 forest fires were registered, damaging 39,162 hectares of forest.

Slavko Velevski, Mayor of the Mogila municipality, added: "Due to negligence , forest fires are visible throughout the country, damaging an enormous part of the forest and threatening public safety. Part of our municipality is situated in the forest area and thus this campaign will be a good opportunity to prevent a situation like the one last year."