The Czech Republic is an interesting place. Its capital city, Prague, is known for having some of the most beautiful buildings in the world — many were built 600 years ago. Similarly, historic architecture accents the country's other large and small cities.

In just the last 100 years the country has gone through immense change. It was ruled by the Hapsburgs, merged with Moravia and Slovakia after the first world war, overrun by the Nazis during the second world war, absorbed into the Soviet bloc of communist countries after the war, invaded by Russian troops in 1968, freed of communist control after the 1989 nonviolent uprising known as the Velvet Revolution, and was divided about in half in 1993 when the Slovak Republic split off to form its own nation.

Despite this tumultuous history, this country, and especially Prague, remains a hotbed for tourism. The nation is about the size of Virginia and sports a population of roughly 10.2 million. According to the Czech government, nearly 6.5 million tourists flock to the country each year, with about half descending on Prague. In many Czech cities, especially in Prague's Old Town district, the winding streets are barely wide enough to accommodate a small passenger car. All this presents some very definite challenges to those trying to provide fire protection.

While traveling in the Czech Republic earlier this year I met with Maj. Gen. Miroslav Stepan, the head of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, and Petr Kopacek, its spokesman. I asked them about the department and how it faces those challenges.

How many firefighters are on staff?

Stepan: The whole Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has about 10,000; 6,529 are firefighters and the rest are inspectors and administrators. The Czech Republic has integrated its fire and rescue departments. Volunteer firefighters add another 90,000 to the force. About 2,500 professional firefighters are employed by private industrial companies.

Are the career firefighters well paid?

Stepan: I think they are. Normal pay for a worker in the Czech Republic is about $959 per month. Normal firefighters earn more than $1,438 per month, but someone in management can earn about $2,397 to $2,877.

How many fire stations are there, and how much area do they cover?

Stepan: Fire stations in the Czech Republic are established based on the amount of disasters that region faces. For example, in Prague, the largest Czech city, there are 10 fire stations and in Brno (second-largest city) there are eight, because Prague is the most dangerous. Small cities and small villages have only volunteer departments. There are 237 career fire stations in Czech and all are very different. In the small city or village, the stations have only two to four staff. In a city like Prague, one station can house as many as 30. There are about 6,000 volunteer fire stations.

Some of the larger industries have small fire departments, sometimes with only one rig and five or 10 people. But, the Czech fire service has mutual aid agreements with these industries.

Does the department provide emergency medical services?

Stepan: The fire service can perform only first aid, but only if it is needed. The fire service does not include ambulances. Sometimes, some fire stations house ambulances. They share a common call center, but are under different management.

Does the service have enough money to hire the firefighters and buy the equipment it needs?

Stepan: Who has as much as they need? I've never seen a fire department that has enough money to buy what it needs. The money is a problem because the politicians change every four years; they have a short attention span [for planning] and they don't dedicate much money for fire and rescue departments to buy new equipment.

The Czech government will give some money to volunteer departments, but it is very low. The volunteer departments must rely on their municipalities for funding. The Czech government gives about 10 times less money to volunteers as it does to professional fire services. There are times with the Czech government knows that it needs a fire station and will give additional funding. The government recently bought a new truck for one such station. It was a present because they need this fire station here.

Kopacek: The money each department receives depends on how big the region's size. For example, Prague is a big region with many people, so they get more money than a region, which is much smaller. The sum of money for each region also depends on other factors, such as if there are dangerous factories or heavily trafficked highways. We divide the money to the regions, and then it is their responsibility to spend it.

The Czech government provides some grants. If they want to buy new apparatus, the state gives them 50% as a matching grant. The municipalities must apply for these grants, and because we have more requests than we can provide, we decide where this money will go. Grants are worth about $4.8 million each year, and it is better than in the past. More money will go to volunteer firefighter units. We need volunteer units. Some municipalities are smart and support firefighters. The Czech firefighters, not only the professionals but the volunteers, have a long tradition going back to the middle of the 19th century when the first regional fire corps was founded. The appeal is not only security, but also culture. The volunteer firefighters are important for us as a people.

What new technologies are you using?

Kopacek: For example, there is a new GPS project in Northern Moravia (western part of the Czech Republic) and we are planning to adapt it to all of our corps. The GPS will enable us to know exactly where the street is or a piece of equipment is at any moment. We also have very good technology linked to 112 (the European Union's emergency number similar to 911). There are things we have to do in accordance to European Union laws. We have invested many millions of euros. Now we have 14 regional operating centers with sophisticated technology of 112. This technology enables a man or woman in the center to see a 112 caller's location. If the caller is on a mobile phone the system can give the caller's proximity within several dozen meters. There can be a situation where someone has called the emergency center, but injuries prevent him from speaking. Now it is not a problem because we have this technology. The other advantage is that the staff at the centers is fluent in English and can speak German and French.

What are the top problems facing the fire service?

Stepan: The psychology and equipment were problems. Three years ago the money for buying equipment was bad; now it is ok. Now the psychological problems are much better because we have many specialists and doctors who can talk with firefighters and help them with problems after a disaster. The Czech Republic has 14 regions, each has its own psychologist. In five of the regions we have laboratories for psychological testing. This is used for new hires and for those with problems. These laboratories help with post-traumatic stress syndrome. The psychologists also go to large fires or disasters. If a firefighter goes to a scene where he finds 30 people dead in a bus, he needs help.

Were there changes to the fire service after Sept. 11, 2001?

Stepan: No. The civil defense and fire service were just integrated in 2001. This integration was good because we have better communication with the army and the specialists for chemical and biological weapons. The only big change was in training scenarios. We are now training for terrorists or hijackers who may use chemical or biological weapons. Before Sept. 11, we all thought it was impossible. Now, we know it is possible and we want to be ready for it. Recently, we had one funny alarm. There was an airplane from Moscow to Geneva, a passenger wanted it to fly to a different city that had better the weather and better drinks. We executed the emergency procedures. He wasn't a terrorist, just a drunk. But, now we know we can do our role at the airport; we know this system is good. We know we are ready for these scenarios and it is better to be ready than not.

Kopacek: Before 2001, civil protection was under the ministry of defense. Now we have the people who make emergency plans for the future. We have shelters for the nuclear age, but now these are not very useful because the nuclear attack is not a threat. We have to react to the new dangers. So we are moving from these to more flexible shelters. For example, we analyzed large buildings, like shopping centers, and tried to identify the dangers for this type of building and the people who are there, and how we can protect them from this kind of danger. It is done with cooperation of other agencies, but it is primarily our responsibility. We are responsible mainly for the civil protection from all situations except, of course, armed situations. We also work closely with the Czech Army. We can use the Army's special-rescue teams, for example, during a flood. When our people are exhausted and we don't have enough materials, we can use them, but only in an extraordinary situation.

Has your job changed since the 1989 revolution?

Stepan: In fact, nothing changed because fire is the same in the communist era and the modern era. What changed was that we got more equipment. The fire department can't change with politics; it must be for all the people.

How much does politics affect your job?

Stepan: I must never change because of politics. My function is political because I am a manager, but I must never change my style of working. I am here because I want to help our fire department, not our government. The only thing that changes with politics is how much money the department gets. I must know about politics so I can help to change the laws that affect the fire department.

Does the fire service work with departments from other countries?

Stepan: One week ago (early January) five Czech fire trucks were sent to help in Poland. Since we've been part of the European Union, there is no problem helping in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, etc. It is now better. Sometimes there are problems with language.

Kopacek: There was a recent incident in south Moravia near the Austrian border. A businessman using pyrotechnics started a huge fire that destroyed a shopping center. There were several hundred fire and rescue workers from the Czech Republic and Austria. The foreign firefighters came to our country almost immediately without any problems. We have treaties with all of our neighbors that enabled us to help them in a situation and they can help us. The treaty says we don't have to declare anything at the border. We can just go there and help immediately.

Does the Czech Republic use smoke alarms and sprinklers?

Stepan: These are used everywhere in the Czech Republic in new buildings. If the building is designed to hold many people, such as a large shopping center, it must have alarms and sprinklers. These are allowed but not required for a normal house or a small hotel that holds only 20 people. We use optical, smoke and temperature-sensing alarms. The choice of alarm is based on the characteristics of the building. If it is made of iron and steel, we use smoke alarms. If it is a hotel, they will use thermal alarms. This is so those smoking cigarettes don't trigger the alarm.

Do the different types of buildings (from beautiful and historic, to communist-era, to modern) in Prague make firefighting difficult?

Stepan: It is very hard to put out a fire because Prague is a treasure of architecture. The Czech government has an office responsible for overseeing historical buildings. This office will direct building owners on what repairs to make and how to make them. What makes it hard is that this office can tell building owners that they cannot install alarms or automatic sprinkler systems. Many of these buildings are 500 or 600 years old. They have no fire-prevention or fire-extinguishing equipment. Fire in these buildings spreads very quickly because they are built only of wood and stone. This is not only a problem for Prague, because there are many historical buildings in other Czech cities.

Also, in Prague the roads are very narrow and we must use special equipment for firefighting. In fire stations near areas with very narrow streets, we have specially designed trucks. We must use very slim vehicles. In the narrowest of our streets, we must walk to the fire.

Kopacek: Many of our natural-gas pipes are also old. For example, last year we had several accidents with gas. We had a terrible accident in Old Town near the center square where a building was destroyed by gas explosion and three people died. I am afraid that it will not be the last case. All the old pipes should be removed and replaced, but there are so many. It is not so easy to replace these pipes because of the old buildings, you need permits and there's the traffic. It is a problem.

Is Prague's water pressure and water supply good?

Stepan: In Prague, the placement of the fire hydrants is good, but, we have very big problems with our water pipes. The Czech Republic has a great deal of calcium in its water. The calcium will build up over time on the insides of the water mains, and these must be changed. This pipe here (see photo on page 81) is one taken from Prague's Old Town Square. This looks like art. In some areas of Prague we still have the wooden water pipes. These are no longer used for supplying water to fight fires, but used as a historical display.

Prague has good water pressure, but in Old Town the water pressure is low. The problem with our fire hydrants is that we have two types: one is above ground and one is flush with the sidewalk. Sometimes, when a road is repaired, the government will swap an above-grade hydrant for an at-grade hydrant. This makes it hard for firefighters to find the water supply. During the winter months, these hydrants can be frozen over. Now the government is going back and switching all of the at-grade hydrants with above-grade hydrants. The most resistance with switching these hydrants came from the historical center. The office in charge of these buildings said the above-grade hydrants did not look as nice as the at-grade hydrants.

What is the biggest problem you want to fix before you retire?

Stepan: I want to take our department to a more professional level. I want to get more money for equipment. I want to make more technical specialists and make the service better ready for firefighting.

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The interview was organized and translated by Marek Kubale.

The Man at the Top

With the exception of his first four years out of technical school, Maj. Gen. Miroslav Stepan has spent his entire career with the Czech fire service. He began in 1973 as a district fire protection inspector and served in that capacity until 1987. During that time he earned a degree from the Technical University of Ostrava in fire protection technology and industrial safety. He had previously earned two other degrees from secondary technical school: one in electrical engineering and the other in mechanical engineering.

In 1987, he was promoted to regional administrator of fire service in Hradec Kralove, one of the republic's major cities west of Prague. Four years later Stepan made chief of district administration and director of fire services two years after that. He reached director of fire rescue services in 1995

In 1997 Stepan left Hradec Kralove for the fire headquarters at the Ministry of Interior where he served as chief fire officer for the Czech Republic. He was named deputy minister of the interior for fire protection in 2000 and appointed director general of the Fire Rescue Service in 2001.

Stepan says his passion is for everything relating to the fire industry. But, that passion must share time with his love of good wine and beekeeping.

Czech Republic Call Statistics

	2003	2004	2005
Fires	28,156	20,550	19,484
Traffic Accidents	21,503	21,188	20,681
Natural Disasters	1,796	1,605	2,729
Hazmat	5,883	5,550	5,630
Tech Accidents	40,994	46,814	40,413
Other	154	100	48
False Alarms	8,023	7,626	7,846
TOTAL	106,509	103,436	96,833
2005 statistics are the most recent figures available. The fire service does not measure ambulance calls.