Circular No. 20 of the DIPRES, which has classified all private corporations and foundations in the same way, has caused the Fire Department to be unable to carry out projects by having to present a guarantee or insurance policy for 5% of the budget. The Fire Department, having “frozen” the implementation of projects, has added importance, and has indicated that in order to solve the issue, there must be political will, since the institution cannot be mixed with the so-called “Foundations” case, which has been in the news lately due to a series of irregularities. That is why we spoke with some parliamentarians from the region to tell us their vision of the complex moment that the Fire Departments of the country are experiencing.
Deputy Carla Morales:
“We all know that the fire department is an institution that plays a fundamental and unique role in protecting the lives, physical integrity and property of people, as well as in protecting the environment in emergency situations. Circular number 20 of the Budget Office (DIPRES), although it is a measure that affects all private corporations and foundations as a result of the agreements case, I believe that an exception should be made to the obligations of this circular for firefighters, since they provide a special service. Having to have guarantee bonds for 5% of the budget and having to submit the projects within the same budget year makes it impossible to carry out these projects, since most of them are medium-term. A clear example of this difficulty is what happens in cities such as San Fernando and Rancagua, which do not have emergency vehicles at height and their manufacture takes at least a year. In this way, projects of this magnitude exceed the reporting limit required by this circular and leave the fire departments of these cities deprived of essential resources, affecting an effective and timely response in cases of emergency.”
Deputy Natalia Romero:
“We must always ensure that the just do not end up paying for the sinners, especially when we are talking about a matter as sensitive as the meager budget of the Fire Department. In general, the resources available to the institution are absolutely insufficient and do not cover all the needs, which are also those of the population itself. Therefore, it seems absolutely reasonable that the Government, through the Ministry of Finance or the Budget Office, can seek a mechanism to resolve this complex situation. We are in complete agreement that the requirements and demands should be increased, following what has happened with the so-called Foundations case. But we must be aware that an institution as noble as the Fire Department cannot be treated in the same way as the Foundations, which have defrauded the State.”
Deputy Raul Soto:
We asked the deputy, Raúl Soto, about the current situation of all the Fire Departments in the country, and he announced that he has spoken with the regional and national leaders of firefighters and has made arrangements with the Treasury and DIPRES, in order to provide a prompt solution to the issue. “I hope that the Government listens to us and that we find a solution to this problem. The firefighters have our full support,” said the deputy, who also expressed his concern that municipalities such as Rancagua and San Fernando currently do not have telescopic trucks that can handle an emergency at height.
Senator Juan Luis Castro:
“The situation of firefighters in particular is a consequence of the irregularities that have occurred in the case of Foundations throughout different regional governments of Chile where there are regulations such as this circular from the DIPRES. I have spoken with the national director of Firefighters, who tells me that on July 31 there will be a summit meeting with the national director of budget to unblock, in particular for firefighters, the process that means the retention of more than 70 billion pesos in the country regarding projects that benefit firefighters. Naturally, there has to be control and, in the case of firefighters, it has a particularity that it is not a corporation created like the one that committed irregularities last year. There must be the corresponding facilities and I am attentive to the result of this high-level meeting to unblock this conflict that inappropriately harms the firefighters of the O’Higgins region and the entire country.”
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