SDA Mayor's Council: Everyone must learn from the bad example of railway rehabilitation in Jablanica

(Patria) - The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Mayor's Council convened today in Konjic.

Six conclusions were adopted at the session, which you can read below.

1. The Council emphasizes the urgent need to improve the civil protection system, with clearly defined responsibilities between the federal, cantonal, and local levels, and the establishment of a unified protocol for coordination in emergency situations.

Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen local capacities through training and equipping Civil Protection headquarters, modernize infrastructure, and ensure constant operational readiness.

Active involvement of utility services and citizens in crisis situations, along with continuous education, is key to an effective response to emergencies.

2. The Council believes that to improve firefighting capacities and effectively respond to fires, modern equipment must be procured, including helicopters and air tractor planes specialized for extinguishing forest fires.

It is also proposed to form a specialized air unit within the Federal Civil Protection Administration (FUCZ) that would enable a faster and more efficient response to crisis situations.

Improving the training of firefighting teams, modernizing fire stations, and implementing incentive systems for volunteers are recommended to ensure maximum efficiency in fire prevention and extinguishing.

3. The Council believes that it is urgently necessary to initiate amendments to the Law on Public Procurement, in order to effectively and timely take measures for saving lives, rehabilitation, and ensuring basic life and social functions in emergency states and natural disasters.

The contracting process in such situations must be adapted to the circumstances, fast and efficient, and clear in interpretation.

An example of incompetence is the rehabilitation of the railway in Jablanica, which was ultimately completed with donations because no one dared to contract the necessary work.

Everyone must learn from this bad example and do everything they can to prevent such incompetence and irresponsibility from recurring under the guise of public procurement.

4. The Council believes that the current process of adopting the Law on Firefighting should follow the decisions of the Constitutional Court, and that the law should be adapted to all municipalities and cities.

The Firefighting Fund ensures the stability of the fire protection and rescue system, and its abolition would jeopardize the future equipping of fire units.

Firefighting cannot be financed solely from profits, as currently proposed in the Draft Law (0.04% of profits).

5. The Council emphasizes that the Federal and cantonal civil protection administrations, with the support of SDA officials, must assume and strengthen their coordinating role in equipping and strengthening Civil Protection structures.

Wherever possible, a unified space and inter-municipal and broader needs should be considered through the standardization of equipment (e.g., communication systems in all municipalities), through the procurement of equipment that no single municipality can procure on its own (helicopters for firefighting and patient transport, field kitchens, etc.).

SDA representatives at the cantonal and federal levels are tasked with initiating such activities.

6. The Council proposes initiating Amendments and Additions to the Law on Protection and Rescue of People and Material Goods, among other things, due to the method of financing Civil Protection.