Emergency Situations Ministry Uses Drones for Fire Area Investigation for the First Time, Says Rescue Service Director

MegaNews.am talked to Armen Gasparyan, the director of the Emergency Situations Ministry's Rescue Service, about the work carried out by the rescue service.

Discussing the risks associated with fires and their consequences, Armen Gasparyan emphasized that economic operators must have the appropriate means and carry out initial firefighting responses. The Ministry should only respond if the situation worsens.

“In many cases, economic operators do not implement the initial response, and under such circumstances, we try to respond, even though that is not a task assigned to our organization. There is a widespread belief in society that if there is a fire, the Ministry should respond, but no, economic operators must first take preventive measures by having the necessary resources. After the application of those resources, if a complex situation arises, the Ministry should respond. Considering the fact that in many places, there are no conditions for initial responses from economic operators, we respond from the start to prevent further complications, although it is not within our duties,” said Gasparyan.

He also noted that conducting inspections to determine whether economic operators have adequate firefighting measures falls outside the rescue service's powers.

Armen Gasparyan also addressed the dangers associated with the swimming season, particularly the risks of drowning for citizens.

“In addition to rescue operations, we also provide specialized services throughout the entire beach area when necessary. This means that unfortunate incidents also occur in those parts of Lake Sevan where we do not operate, and if we receive calls and alerts, we naturally respond. This year, we also responded to an incident where we recovered the body of a citizen who had drowned in an area that was not part of our service territory or was far from it. We continue our services even outside the swimming season, and despite the overload, our personnel have responded quickly and efficiently,” Gasparyan added.