Solemn meeting held on the 19th anniversary of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (video, photo)

On the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the professional holiday of its employees, a solemn meeting was held at the administrative building of the Ministry on December 16, 2024.
First, the Ministry's staff, led by the Minister of Emergency Situations, Colonel General Kamaladdin Heydarov, came to the Alley of Honor to pay tribute to the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, laid a wreath and flowers at his grave. Prominent ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva's dear memory was also commemorated, and flowers were laid at her grave.
Then, the Alley of Martyrs was visited, the memory of the heroic sons of the Motherland who gave their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was commemorated with respect, and flowers were laid at their graves.
The event held at the administrative building of the Ministry of Emergency Situations started with the performance of State Anthem.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov emphasized that the year 2024 is marked by the further development of our country in all fields and the achievement of new and historic successes. Minister reminded that in the first presidential elections held in Azerbaijan, where territorial integrity and sovereignty were fully restored in our history of independence, our people unanimously voted for the most worthy candidate - Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who confidently leads our country on the path of comprehensive and sustainable development, liberated our ancestral lands that had been under occupation for 30 years, achieved a great Victory and put an end to Armenian separatism. He expressed confidence that the most worthy successor of the political course of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev will bring many more victories and triumphs to Azerbaijan.
The Minister noted that the holding of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku was a significant historical event and reminded that under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, our country successfully hosted the global event and that the conference was remembered for its historical achievements. The Minister emphasized that the solid foundations of historical achievements of Azerbaijan were laid in 1993-2003 by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, who successfully led our country through the most difficult trials of time thanks to his wise foresight, rich political experience, strong will and boundless love for the Motherland.
Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov stated that the Ministry of Emergency Situations successfully fulfilled its duties in accordance with the instructions of the head of state and directions of action. In this context, the Ministry ensured a high level of safety issues related to COP29. He noted that from the first day, all forces of the Ministry were mobilized to conduct inspections and monitoring of facilities, including event venues, hotels, catering facilities, places where people gather, recreation and shopping centers, infrastructure and strategic facilities, as well as buildings located around these facilities for fire, technical, construction and radiation safety, and took appropriate measures. In addition, numerous exercises were held at these facilities involving the Ministry's forces and resources, and extensive awareness-raising activities were carried out on the rules of behavior in case of emergency situations. Also, in order to ensure a rapid response to possible emergencies on the eve of the event and during the event, the Ministry's forces and resources were brought to full readiness and worked in an enhanced operating mode. In addition, the Ministry carried out appropriate activities to improve the ecological state of Baku Bay.
Reminding that under the personal supervision and attention of Mr. President Ilham Aliyev, numerous settlements were rebuilt and "smart villages and cities" were built in our liberated territories, the Minister emphasized that great work was done by our state in this field in 2024. He also noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, under the leadership of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, successfully restored the historical, religious, and cultural heritage of our people in Karabakh and East Zangezur.
The Minister said that the Ministry of Emergency Situations continues to take relevant measures to ensure the safety of the population and territories in our liberated lands. It was noted that the "N" special purpose military unit of the Special Risky Rescue Service is continuously carrying out mine clearance work in the liberated territories. Demining work is being continued rapidly, using the purchased most modern demining robots and other tools thanks to the attention and care of the head of state. Also, fire safety was constantly monitored, prompt extinguishing of fires was ensured, and appropriate safety measures were taken regarding the ongoing reconstruction projects in the liberated territories by the relevant bodies of the Ministry.
Continuing his speech, Minister K. Heydarov stated that this year, the operational conditions in the field of fire safety throughout the country were kept in focus, and fire accidents were prevented promptly and not allowed to spread and result in serious consequences. He noted that in 2024, 13,545 fire accidents were recorded across the republic, 4,472 of them in Baku and 357 in the liberated territories, which means an average of 41 fire accidents per day. 16 of the fires were extinguished with high-numbered calls. In total, 79 state and 425 private facilities, 348 apartment buildings, 519 private houses, 497 auxiliary buildings, and 300 units of various equipment were protected during the firefighting, and 78 people's lives were rescued from real danger. During the extinguishing of the fires, 1,041 people were evacuated to safe areas, taking into account the risk factors for human life.
K. Heydarov noted that 1,095 injured were rescued during 976 search and rescue operations of various types, and the bodies of 101 people were removed from deformed vehicles, from behind closed doors, and from under debris by the special risky rescue teams. At the same time, firefighters and rescuers removed 294 people from deformed vehicles in 140 transport and other accidents and transported them to medical facilities in the area, and the bodies of 54 people were removed from the vehicles.
During 2024, a total of 161 people in danger of drowning were rescued by divers and rescuers ( 71 people out of them in supervised beach areas and 90 people in unsupervised non-beach areas). The bodies of 52 people who drowned in unsupervised non-beach areas were found and handed over to the relevant authorities.
Also, 662 employees of the relevant bodies of the Ministry, as well as 117 vehicles, 3 boats, and 85 motor pumps were involved in draining and removing water from flooded areas in Baku city and Absheron district due to intense rainfall in October, evacuating people in need of help, and other necessary safety activities were carried out. A total of 542 people were evacuated to safe areas, and the bodies of 2 people were removed from the water and handed over to the relevant authorities.
The Minister also said that in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the BE-200 CS amphibious aircraft of the Aviation Detachment, which was sent to the brotherly country this year to assist in combating severe forest fires in the Republic of Türkiye, actively participated in firefighting operations, carried out flights in various regions, poured a total of about 400 tons of water into the fire areas, and successfully completed the tasks assigned.
It was noted that during the current year, the "112" hotline received a total of about 2.1 million calls, or an average of about 6,000 calls per day, regarding various issues, including fires, explosions, car accidents, violations of safety rules in construction, industry and mining, and other issues.
For the purpose of fire control, fire-technical inspections were conducted at more than 70,000 facilities of social, industrial, transport, communication, agricultural, service areas and other purposes, and 407,000 letters of demand containing requirements were issued to facility managers and owners to eliminate the identified deficiencies.
In addition, state control over construction was carried out at 2,890 facilities where construction works were carried out by individuals and legal entities, regardless of their purposes. In order to monitor safety in industry and mountain-mining, technical inspections were conducted for more than 37,000 potentially hazardous devices and equipment at 2,964 enterprises, and the knowledge of 4,800 workers and engineering and technical employees on technical safety rules was also tested. In order to ensure the radiation safety of the population and the environment and verify the organization of physical protection of ionizing radiation sources, 256 control and inspection activities were carried out at medical, industrial, and scientific research institutions, as well as identification and dosimetric control of 95 radioactive sources carried out during import-export operations of radioactive sources. In accordance with the requirements of the current legislation, 93 small-sized vessels belonging to individuals and legal entities were initially registered, and technical inspections were conducted on 1,977 small-sized vessels based on the requests of ship owners.
At the end of his speech, Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov congratulated the staff on the occasion of the professional holiday and expressed his confidence that the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who rely on the ideas of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and always feel the attention and care of Mr. President Ilham Aliyev, will continue to work with all their might to ensure the safety of our citizens and will successfully fulfill all the orders and instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Then, awards were presented to employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who were awarded the medal "For Services in the Field of Mine Clearance" by the relevant Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Information was given about the order of the Minister of Emergency Situations on measures to encourage employees who distinguished themselves in service, and awards were presented to a group of employees at the meeting.
At the end of the event, an appeal was adopted to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, on behalf of the participants.