The Čaglin Volunteer Fire Department has had a new multi-purpose fire engine since Tuesday — the first fully new operational and response vehicle to arrive at the department since the 1980s.
For decades, Čaglin firefighters have relied on used and dilapidated vehicles from donations, including those from the Austrian province of Tyrol, with the only recent acquisition being a van purchased through the Ministry of Agriculture. "We are not overly demanding; we used the older vehicles in the best possible way because the municipality did not have enough own revenue to buy a new one, but this is now a completely different story. A new vehicle is new after all," said Ivan Kukić, commander of the Čaglin Volunteer Fire Department (DVD Čaglin), to Požega.eu.
The new truck, commonly known as the 'forester', was allocated as part of a broader campaign to equip fire brigades. Although designed as a forest vehicle, it has the proportions of a response vehicle and will serve both purposes, effectively replacing two vehicles. It carries 2,000 litres of water, which is crucial for a municipality spread over 180 square kilometres of predominantly forested terrain, home to the most valuable forest stock in the Požega-Slavonia County.
The problem of remote settlements without water supply and hydrant networks remains, leading the department to consider purchasing a tanker with a capacity of 5,000 to 7,000 litres. The municipality, they warn, cannot fund this itself, so other sources will be sought.
Larger investments in fire infrastructure are also underway: the renovation of local community halls in Ruševo and Ljeskovica is nearing completion, and bids for the construction of a new fire station in the centre of Čaglin will be opened in mid-July. The project, estimated at €1.23 million, includes garages for four vehicles, dormitories, a laundry, technical rooms, and a training tower, announced municipal mayor Dalibor Bardač. County Fire Chief Marko Ašenbrener also attended the vehicle handover ceremony.
