PRESS RELEASE*

Agenda for the August 9, 2010 Government Presidium meeting

 1. Draft federal law On Introducing an Amendment to Article 10 of the Federal Law On Protecting the Population and Territories from Natural and Manmade Emergencies

The draft federal law has been developed by the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development.

The draft law adds to Article 10 of the federal law On Protecting the Population and Territories Against Natural and Manmade Emergencies provisions that grant the Government of the Russian Federation additional authority to issue resolutions and executive orders on the payment of lump-sum relief money to the citizens of the Russian Federation in the event of natural or manmade emergency situations, including decisions on specific relief cases as well as the circle of people benefiting from such relief.

2. Providing the federal fire service with modern firefighting technology and firefighting vehicles and technical equipment

At present the Federal Fire Service has 220,000 employees, of whom about 51,000 are on 24-hour watch and about 100,000 are on reserve and available.

This is adequate to ensure  the protection of the public and property from fires.

The number of victims lost to fires as well as the number and severity of fires have been on the decline recently. Generally, the numbers of fires and their consequences have been steadily dropping over the past five years. Between 2005 and 2009 the number of fires dropped by 18.3%, the number of lives claimed dropped by 24.3% and the number of injured by 1.2%.

At the same time analysis shows that the capacity of the service's  personnel and equipment are reaching its limit.

To ensure a high level of fire safety the Federal Fire Service must be provided with modern fire-fighting technology and equipment.

First, it is necessary to strengthen the aviation units and introduce modern aviation rescue technology. This applies to IL-76, Be-200CS planes as well MI-26, MI-171 and KA-32 helicopters. They must be provided with medical aid modules, spraying and other aviation rescue equipment.

It is also necessary to provide fire units with the latest technology and equipment which requires a higher level of skill plus the creation of a modern infrastructure for the maintenance of fire-fighting equipment.

Second, the creation of specialized fire units as well as station-based units, the concentration of reserves of specialized technology to control large, difficult and prolonged fires is also needed. The reserves must include fire rescue vehicles and equipment and special clothes for the volunteer fire-fighters. The bases should also include robotized complexes, specialized medical vehicles for evacuation of victims, fire-fighting watercraft and aircraft, an inventory of fire-extinguishing substances. Powerful multifunctional pumps must be provided to fight both wild fires and emergencies at industrial facilities.

The implementation of the above tasks would require not only the procurement of modern equipment, but scientific research to create new technical means for fighting fires. These would include multipurpose fire-fighting and rescue vehicles intended both for extinguishing fires and for rescue and relief work as well as other modern vehicles and equipment and robotic elements.

Third. Providing personnel with modern means to protect the respiratory system, instruments to monitor health, systems of communication and control when fighting difficult and prolonged fires.

Fourth. The strength of the units should be increased. The first stage of this work has been carried out, 15,000 managerial positions have been abolished and watch units have been strengthened.

The increase in the number of personnel will make it possible to bring the units to the required strength and ensure protection of potentially dangerous, critically important, technically sophisticated and unique facilities and all federal activities.

Priority measures to provide units of the Federal Fire Service with modern vehicles and equipment are to be taken in 2010.

Generally, retrofitting Federal Fire Service units will significantly increase the capacity for quick reaction and enhance fire safety in the country.

3. Introducing amendments to Government Resolution No.750 of October 13, 2008 on the procedure of Budget Allocations from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Relief  of Emergency Situations and the Aftermath of Natural Disasters

4. Progress on preparing an act of the Government of the Russian Federation on the Sale of Forage Grain from the Federal Intervention Inventory of Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Foodstuffs

 As a result of the unusually hot weather in large areas of Russia, agricultural production has sustained serious damage, especially in the Volga and Central Federal Districts.

In addition, livestock breeding depends directly on the crop harvest. Because much of the grain and fodder crop has perished, the livestock industry is beginning to experience problems with animal feed supply and with rising prices for these feeds.

In this connection, to help support the livestock industry and preserve the number of cattle, the output of milk, poultry and pork, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has ordered subsidies for the purchase of fodder, including forage grain from the federal intervention inventory.

Proceeding from the proposals of the heads of regions and the requests of agricultural producers who have been affected by the drought, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation has taken the following decision:

Forage grain from the intervention inventory is to be sold without tenders at commodity exchanges through the adoption of a corresponding government act that approves the procedure for determining the volume of forage grain to be sold to the regions.

The above sales procedure must take into account the volume of the production of meat and milk in the region, the number of cattle and poultry, the regional balance between the production and consumption of feed and forage grain and the extent of the damage to crops this year.

Forage grain will be sold at the procurement price with deadlines to be set for regions to collect the grain allocated to them.

The proposed deadline for taking out the grain is from one to two months from the date the Government of the Russian Federation adopts the relevant act and the head of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation submits a list of the purchasers of grain approved by the Government of that constituent entity of the Russian Federation.

Moscow,

August 8, 2010  

* Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information contain the materials submitted by the executive federal bodies for discussion by the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation