State Duma deputies promised the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov to support rescuers in the Northern Military District zone

The Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Alexander Kurenkov spoke in the Duma for the first time on Wednesday as part of the “government hour”. He complained that currently the law does not provide for granting the status of combat veteran to EMERCOM employees working in the special military operation (SVO) zone. The deputies agreed that rescuers should receive the full range of benefits and preferences granted to military personnel and volunteers. In turn, the minister also expressed support for some parliamentary initiatives.

Alexander Kurenkov, who has held the post of head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations since May 2022 (his predecessor Evgeny Zinichev tragically died in September 2021), reported to the Duma for the first time as part of the “government hour”. Three deputies helped him answer questions from deputies – Alexey Serko, Anatoly Suprunovsky and Viktor Yatsutsenko.

The minister said that more than 250 emergencies and an average of 130 thousand to 400 thousand man-made fires occur in the country every year. But there is good news: this year the number of victims of emergencies decreased by 26%, and the number of rescued people increased eight times compared to last year. “In total, about 40 thousand people were saved during rescue operations and fire extinguishing,” Mr. Kurenkov reported.

He also said that in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, territorial bodies of the Ministry of Emergency Situations have been created and the department’s employees “are always located in the most dangerous areas of work, often directly in the zones of combat contact.” The minister recalled that the forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations take an active part in carrying out tasks during the military action, for example, in demining socially significant objects, but the reward does not always find heroes. “Current legislation does not provide for granting our employees the status of combat veterans, which is a problematic issue that requires a prompt solution,” said Mr. Kurenkov, adding that he is counting on the support of deputies.

The minister thanked the parliamentarians for their “close attention” to the work of the department: last year alone, the Duma adopted 31 federal laws under the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 14 of which were prepared on the initiative of deputies and senators.

Chairman of the Duma Security Committee Vasily Piskarev (United Russia), speaking with a co-report, confirmed that the issue of additional social guarantees for rescuers working in the North-West region “remains relevant.” In addition, United Russia recalled that rescuers in the regions, unlike federal ones, do not have the right to early assignment of an old-age insurance pension and this may also become the subject of further legislative work.

Chairman of the Labor Committee Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR) continued the topic, saying that the Liberal Democrats, at the request of the Union of Rescuers of Russia, introduced into the Duma a bill on equalizing the pensions of federal and regional firefighters and rescuers. Alexander Kurenkov assured him of support for this initiative, because “all regional firefighters and rescuers are our people, we don’t see any difference between social security.” The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations also liked the idea of ​​\u200b\u200b”New People”, whose deputy Vladimir Plyakin proposed to notify residents of apartment buildings about emergencies using not a wired radio, but apartment intercom handsets, many of which have a built-in loudspeaker. Mr. Kurenkov assured the deputy that the Ministry of Emergency Situations supports this initiative “with great pleasure,” and in addition, intercoms are capable of performing other useful functions: “Gas analyzers can also be installed on them.”

State Duma Vice Speaker Anna Kuznetsova (United Russia) noted that “real heroes” work at the Ministry of Emergency Situations. “We believe that all benefits and support formats should extend to Emergency Situations Ministry employees,” she assured. She was also interested in who is responsible for implementing the government decree, according to which premises where large families live must be equipped with autonomous house fire detectors. Deputy Minister Anatoly Suprunovsky replied that this is a social norm and the executive authorities of the constituent entities should finance the installation.

Finally, Yuri Shvykin (United Russia) asked whether there are enough employees in the Emergencies Ministry units in the new territories and when the “112 system” (a single emergency call number) will start working there. The minister replied that the units were fully formed at the beginning of 2023, and the “112 system” will begin to fully function in 2025.

Ksenia Veretennikova