Interior Ministry Delivers 40 Off-road Vehicles for Crisis Management

Bratislava, 20 October (TASR) – The Interior Ministry has delivered 40 new off-road vehicles to employees of the crisis management departments of district offices, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice–SD) announced at a press conference on Monday. The press conference was held in the presence of Interior Ministry State Secretary Michal Kalinak and Crisis Management Section general director Ervin Erdelyi. Thirty-nine of the vehicles will be distributed among district offices, with one due to remain at the Crisis Management Section in Bratislava. Each vehicle was procured at an approximate cost of €24,000. "The total cost of this procurement is €1 million. The entire project is being financed by EU funds via a programme specifically designated for crisis management," said Sutaj Estok. Until now, the crisis management departments didn't have their own vehicles and had to borrow from other departments. Erdelyi emphasised the importance of bringing crisis response closer to the public and improving the level of preparation for emergencies. "Crisis management staff are often not visible, but they are usually among the first on the scene during emergencies. We need to improve and speed up this process. We want these employees to be closer to citizens, to visit schools and educate children at both lower and upper primary levels," added Erdelyi. mf/df