"We are ashamed of people! Without water, tools and buildings"/ The drama of firefighters in northern Albania

The show "Fiks Fare" continued to denounce the state of fire stations, where this time the group of the investigative show traveled to the north of Albania.

The situation was the same; stations without water, without tools and with destroyed buildings! Kruja station had tools, but there is no water in the ward. Fire engines and autobots filled the lake. The most effective tool was from 1974, but it was under repair. The new vehicle could not fit into narrow roads and mountains.

The station in Kruje without water, with the building destroyed!

"Now we need a 4×4 vehicle and possibly a station in Fushë Krujë" says the head of the Krujë Ministry of Education and Culture. He says that the premises leave much to be desired. "I have been in this situation for 10 years. The living rooms and toilets are untidy, with old fixtures, concrete sinks from before the 90s. Damp terrace, that's how I found it. We don't have a kitchen, we take our food with us. We heat them with a gas cylinder and that's it," he claims.

Fiksi asked him whether or not there is water at the station. "We don't have water, when it comes to the whole city. We have the hydrant and when everyone has it, so do we. We have made the solution, that we have a lake down here in Krastë and we fill it with a pump. We do not have a dedicated line for 24 hours of water. Even now that we are talking, we have no water. If we have an emergency, we use up what we have filled, and then if we need it, we fill it in the lake," he says.

The head of Kurbin: We don't have the tools and the building, difficult conditions

Fiksi also traveled to Kurbin, where the head of this station said that the station is as good as it gets. "We are in the most difficult conditions. Greater commitment is needed, from the Municipality there are tendencies if we do not have results. The only tool we have now is this tool which is normally for accidents. It holds 1500 liters of water, it does not meet the conditions for the tasks we have. We are in a difficult position to help the citizens. Kurbini has a hydrant, but Mamurrasi doesn't. How will we do in the forest, we need new tools. We have another vehicle under repair, it's from 1975. Older than us (laughs), when you do a service, what else happens to it" says the boss.

He admits that the station doesn't even have tools. "We have two rooms in an old building that was cracked by the earthquake. The government also needs attention, I know what problems the municipality has, but as long as there is no station, there is a lack of funds. There is a crack here from the earthquake and I know how the work will go. It cannot be a fire station under these conditions. I don't know what else to say. I think that, I don't have to say it, that sometimes it's hard for you to lead something that... you get very tired and you don't get anything. In some cases, we feel bad in front of the citizens," concludes the head of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The Lezha station in the apartment, the firefighters change outside!

Lezha's firefighters stay in an improvised station, in a house that has not been reconstructed, plastered and painted. Firefighters stay on the first floor, changing rooms are on the first floor open and without masonry. The fire engine driver says that the station has 4 vehicles, one MAN that they have in service. "These tools that are in operation are from 1974 and 1975, old. These hold 2 tons of water each. We don't have Autobots. We are here for rent. We don't have a station here. We also need tools. We cannot make the premises better or worse," he says. Even the changing rooms of the firefighters are in the open air.

Chief of Shkodra: We don't have staff, drivers are a problem

Meanwhile, the chief of the Shkodra Fire Department complains about the staff. According to him, the law says to have 100 people at work based on the population. Currently, they have about 33 people. "The law has provided for 1 firefighter for 1500-2000 inhabitants. Shkodra has 204 thousand inhabitants. We work effectively with 28% of the law, we have made a request to the General Directorate. We are looking to go to 50% of the law," he says. He further asserts that all the tools that this station currently has have come from donations. "Nothing from the state, we are waiting. 78 years since the fire service was established in Albania, no new vehicle has arrived in Shkodër," he says.

He further states that the main problem is with the drivers. "We don't have drivers. The law and our VM prevents us from hiring drivers who know the trade because the law says up to 30 years old. But now it is difficult for a young driver to get on the fire brigade. There are new people who are getting their licenses coming here and they don't know where the oil filter is, the pump. We can't find drivers, it's been 3 years since we issued the notice," he claims.

The Fiks Fare group also traveled to the Municipality of Vau de Deja. The station is far from the city, while all the vehicles had come as a gift.

The firefighter in Dibër, an autobot of the embargo with Yugoslavia!

Fiksi also went to Dibër, where the chief of the Fire Station says that they have a vehicle from the 90s. "It is not functional at all, as it does not go into the mountains. Even the mountains can hardly be climbed. We can't go to the fires any faster. In the mountains, no, no. We had a big fire in the Lura Park, it lasted for several days if we didn't have anything to get there. We designed this tool as a fire extinguisher. It came to us after it was seized from the oil embargo with Yugoslavia. We improvised it as a fire extinguisher, but it is not functional. We have a 4X4 vehicle from Kosovo, but there is no water. It only transports the firefighters to put out with circumstantial means in the forest," concludes the chief.