Vitebsk Regional Emergency Management Department initiates the creation of groups with round-the-clock child accommodation

December 10, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Vitebsk Regional Emergency Situations Department is initiating the creation of groups with round-the-clock child care. The decision is under consideration by the regional executive committee, reports a BELTA correspondent. The Ministry of Emergency Situations proposes to create round-the-clock children's groups in preschool institutions, educational institutions, large enterprises with round-the-clock operation, and in rural settlements, which will also operate on weekends and holidays. In addition, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations staff, heads of enterprises with a current work schedule are obliged to equip the apartments and houses of their employees raising young children with autonomous fire alarms with signal output. Such measures are necessary to prevent child deaths in fires, emphasized the head of the Regional Emergency Situations Department, Vasily Chekan. With an overall decrease in the number of people killed in fires, 11 out of 162 people were children. Fires with mass child fatalities occurred in Tolochinsky, Vitebsky, and Gluboksky districts. Of the 7 fires with child fatalities, 4 were due to children's pranks with fire, and 3 were due to the careless handling of fire by adults who were intoxicated. In total, 52 fires out of 1408 that occurred since the beginning of the year were due to children's pranks with fire. According to the Regional Emergency Situations Department, the main factors contributing to fires and child deaths are adults' abuse of alcohol, smoking while intoxicated, children being left unsupervised, and children having free access to matches and fire hazardous items. -0-