The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office notes the low level of work by local authorities in fire prevention

May 17, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The work of local authorities in the Vitebsk region to prevent fires and deaths in them is at a low level. This opinion was expressed to a BELTA correspondent by the First Deputy Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region, Alexander Chadyuk. The region is experiencing a significant increase in deaths from fires. According to operational data as of May 17, there have been 614 fires in the region since the beginning of the year, in which 128 people died, which is 51 more residents compared to the same period in 2009. As inspections have shown, the current negative situation is largely due to shortcomings in the activities of local authorities in fire prevention, Alexander Chadyuk emphasized. In particular, the measures taken by local authorities do not have the proper impact on the fire situation, as certain executive committees carry out activities not in full, with violations of established deadlines, a number of them are formal in nature, without setting deadlines for implementation, and control over their implementation is absent. In addition, there is a problem of unsatisfactory financing of fire safety measures by local executive and administrative bodies. The work of the inspection commissions of rural councils also raises concerns, as they do not use all possible measures to improve the current situation. For example, the results of the inspection of the fire safety condition of the housing stock in Chashniksky, Sennensky, Ushachsky, Miorsky and some other districts showed that the members of such commissions practically do not inspect residential buildings for their fire safety. Village elders and representatives of enterprises, institutions and organizations are not involved for these purposes. According to the First Deputy Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region, the current situation indicates the need to intensify efforts and a more responsible attitude of local authorities to fire prevention work. These issues will be considered in more detail on May 21 at a coordination meeting with the participation of representatives of the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and local authorities. -0-