Sežana professional firefighters presented a pilot case of preventive arson
On Tuesday, March 11, 2026, a presentation of preventive vegetation fires near important infrastructure facilities was held at the premises of the professional fire department of the Sežana Fire and Rescue Service Institute (ZGRS Sežana), which Sežana firefighters carried out as a pilot in the area of the Sežana and Komen municipalities as part of the Interreg cross-border project KARST-SAFE Preventive measures for a safe Karst. This is one of the measures to reduce fire risk in the Karst and improve vegetation management in areas with a higher risk of fires.
On this occasion, the firefighters also presented the equipment they purchased from the project funds, the most important of which is the Traxter four-wheeler. It is the smallest vehicle in the professional fire department, which has already proven itself excellently in difficult-to-access and varied Karst terrain. With a special module with 150 liters of water, it enables extinguishing small fires in inaccessible terrain, but the vehicle is also intended for transporting injured people in hard-to-reach places, rescuing from caves, and observing and coordinating work in difficult terrain. During the KARST-SAFE project, professional firefighters also conducted numerous workshops among residents, business entities, and other institutions, with which they try to raise awareness of the importance of preventive action and correct and timely action in the event of a fire.
In addition to the "firefighting" part of the project, we are also proud of its effects in the field of agriculture. The abandonment of agricultural activities represents the most important factor in increasing the risk of fire in the Karst, which is why we were extremely pleased with the cooperation of herbivorous animal breeders, with whom we re-established or preserved 174 hectares of pasture land as part of the KARST-SAFE project. Even in the case of preventive fires, an important aspect is the cooperation of landowners, who understand the importance of reducing overgrowth and the amount of combustible biomass as a key preventive measure for protection against wildfires.
KARST-SAFE is not the only project in which ZGRS Sežana is involved. The institute is intensively working to obtain additional sources of funds to allocate to training, equipment procurement and preventive activities. They are also currently participating in the Innterreg Euro-MED – FRED Program project, which aims to prevent and mitigate the risk of wildfires in six Mediterranean countries. The key achievements of the project were the development of a platform for predicting the development of fires and an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) with a thermal and lidar camera, radar, loudspeaker and other special equipment. Firefighters use the equipment for preventive inspections of the area, which is especially useful during times of high fire risk in the natural environment. The aircraft has also proven itself excellently in monitoring the area during and after the fire and in searching for missing persons.
On this occasion, the firefighters also presented the equipment they purchased from the project funds, the most important of which is the Traxter four-wheeler. It is the smallest vehicle in the professional fire department, which has already proven itself excellently in difficult-to-access and varied Karst terrain. With a special module with 150 liters of water, it enables extinguishing small fires in inaccessible terrain, but the vehicle is also intended for transporting injured people in hard-to-reach places, rescuing from caves, and observing and coordinating work in difficult terrain. During the KARST-SAFE project, professional firefighters also conducted numerous workshops among residents, business entities, and other institutions, with which they try to raise awareness of the importance of preventive action and correct and timely action in the event of a fire.
In addition to the "firefighting" part of the project, we are also proud of its effects in the field of agriculture. The abandonment of agricultural activities represents the most important factor in increasing the risk of fire in the Karst, which is why we were extremely pleased with the cooperation of herbivorous animal breeders, with whom we re-established or preserved 174 hectares of pasture land as part of the KARST-SAFE project. Even in the case of preventive fires, an important aspect is the cooperation of landowners, who understand the importance of reducing overgrowth and the amount of combustible biomass as a key preventive measure for protection against wildfires.
KARST-SAFE is not the only project in which ZGRS Sežana is involved. The institute is intensively working to obtain additional sources of funds to allocate to training, equipment procurement and preventive activities. They are also currently participating in the Innterreg Euro-MED – FRED Program project, which aims to prevent and mitigate the risk of wildfires in six Mediterranean countries. The key achievements of the project were the development of a platform for predicting the development of fires and an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) with a thermal and lidar camera, radar, loudspeaker and other special equipment. Firefighters use the equipment for preventive inspections of the area, which is especially useful during times of high fire risk in the natural environment. The dron has also proven itself excellently in monitoring the area during and after the fire and in searching for missing persons.
