Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria remains last in Europe in the number of volunteers, while volunteer emergency units continue to face equipment shortages and operational challenges, National Association of Volunteers Chair Yasen Tsvetkov said here Tuesday during a meeting with volunteer teams in Haskovo Region.
Tsvetkov stressed the Disaster Protection Act, adopted more than 15 years ago, needs updating to reflect current realities, and he highlighted restrictions affecting volunteer emergency vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, noting that mandatory route permits delay responses to fires and emergencies and can even result in fines when routes change during operations.
He also called for better equipment and funding, saying the association currently fills basic gaps through donations. Tsvetkov proposed introducing green emergency lights for volunteer vehicles, following the example of countries such as Czechia. He also said a satellite-based wildfire detection platform developed by volunteers in Hisarya, which provides real-time information on fire locations, terrain, wind direction and nearby water sources and is being discussed with the Fire Safety Directorate and the Interior Ministry for real-world testing.
The meeting coincided with a donation of wildfire firefighting equipment, including 20-litre backpack water pumps, to volunteer units in Haskovo Region, followed by a joint wildfire response training session. Bulgaria’s Volunteer Rescue Units Struggle with Outdated Rules, Limited Resources 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-04 11:16:25 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
