President Milanović Meets with Representatives of Volunteer Fire Departments from Varaždin, Koprivnica and Križevci on their Key Anniversaries

15. December 2023.
15:03

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović met with representatives of volunteer fire departments from Varaždin, Koprivnica and Križevci, which are celebrating 160 years (the Varaždin Volunteer Fire Department) and 150 years of work (the Koprivnica Volunteer Fire Department and the Križevci Volunteer Fire Department) next year, respectively. A delegation of the Croatian Firefighting Association headed by Chief Firefighting Commander Slavko Tucaković also attended the meeting.

The representatives of volunteer fire departments informed President Milanović about their plans for marking the anniversaries, which are important for firefighting in Croatia, and invited him to attend the anniversary celebrations. The first Croatian volunteer fire brigade in Varaždin, known as the “Prvi hrvatski dobrovoljni vatrogasni zbor u Varaždinu,” was established on 17 June 1864 and was the first volunteer fire brigade on the territory of Croatia and in Southeast Europe. The representatives of DVD Varaždin therefore emphasized that they consider themselves as the “cradle of modern Croatian volunteer firefighting.” In the Križevci and Koprivnica areas, the first volunteer fire departments were founded in 1874 and they were among the first in Croatia, as well.

In addition to discussing the significant role of volunteer fire departments in Croatia’s history, the meeting in the Office of the President also discussed the present-day importance of volunteer firefighters. It was mentioned, in this context, that firefighters are always among the first to respond in the event of natural disasters, such as fires, earthquakes or floods. Chief Firefighting Commander Tucaković informed President Milanović about the firefighters’ activities during this year’s major storm, which affected a large part of Croatia.

President Milanović expressed his satisfaction with the firefighters’ engagement and conduct, underscoring that he is glad to see that the fire service is functioning well in these situations. The need to encourage children and young people to become more involved in the work of volunteer fire departments was discussed, too. As Commander Tucaković pointed out, the fire departments are doing well in terms of equipment, but the lack of manpower is expected to be the main issue in the future.

Attending the meeting with the President of the Republic, alongside the Chief Firefighting Commander, were the Commander of the Koprivnica Volunteer Fire Department Danijel Matijaković, Secretary of the Koprivnica Volunteer Fire Department Krešimir Juratović, President of the Križevci Volunteer Fire Department Natalija Radotović-Maksić, Vice President of the Križevci Volunteer Fire Department Ivan Matosović, Member of the Governing Board of the Križevci Volunteer Fire Department Božidar Štubelj, President of the “Prvi hrvatski dobrovoljni vatrogasni zbor u Varaždinu” Volunteer Fire Brigade Radovan Martinec, Vice President of the “Prvi hrvatski dobrovoljni vatrogasni zbor u Varaždinu” Volunteer Fire Brigade Roman Veršić, Secretary of the “Prvi hrvatski dobrovoljni vatrogasni zbor u Varaždinu” Volunteer Fire Brigade Jasenka Kraš, Secretary in the Cabinet of the  Chief Firefighting Commander Hrvoje Ostović and the Spokesperson in the Cabinet of the Chief Firefighting Commander Nina Francetić.

President Milanović was accompanied by Dragan Lozančić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for National Security.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek