Stojanche Angelov addresses crisis management system weaknesses

Stojanche Angelov, the Director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS), has addressed a state audit report highlighting weaknesses in the national crisis management, protection, and rescue system. Angelov stated that he had previously identified these same systemic issues during his tenure as the head of the Crisis Management Center (CUK).

According to Angelov, while some weaknesses persist, certain areas have seen improvement due to recent legislative amendments to the Law on Crisis Management and the Law on Protection and Rescue. He noted that resource availability has improved, specifically mentioning that firefighting equipment and tractors were serviced in time for the wildfire season. Additionally, the number of firefighting vehicles has increased, including specialized units such as BTRs and Hermelins repurposed for fire response.

A significant change involves the unification of command for protection and rescue forces. New legal provisions now allow the Director of the DZS to bypass previous bureaucratic hurdles by directly ordering the engagement of any unit or personnel within the protection and rescue forces during urgent interventions.