Foto: Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform
Predstavitev slovenskega gasilstva v Ukrajini
Vrh soprog in soprogov voditeljev držav, ki ga je v Kijevu 24. 8. 2026 že šestič organizirala prva dama Ukrajine Olena Zelenska, je bil letos namenjen različnim vidikom odpornosti, ki so značilni za posamezne države in družbe. Poleg prvih dam Estonije Sirje Karis, Finske Suzanne Innnes-Stubb, Litve Diane Nausėdienė, Romunije Mirabele Grădinaru, Srbije Tamare Vučić in Ukrajine, se ga je osebno udeležil tudi soprog Predsednice Republike Slovenije Nataše Pirc Musar dr. Aleš Musar, po video povezavi pa so sodelovale še druge gostje. Prireditev je potekala v zgodovinskem centru Kijeva pri tisočletni katedrali Sv. Sofije na dan, ko je Ukrajina slavila 35-letnico ponovne vzpostavitve neodvisnosti.
Datum objave Kijev, Ukrajina,
Prostovoljno gasilstvo je edinstven slovenski prispevek v svetovni slovar odpornosti. Slovensko gasilstvo z več kot 175.000 člani, od otrok do veteranov, v 1333 prostovoljnih gasilskih društvih, združenih v Gasilsko zvezo Slovenije, je edinstvena organizacija v svetovnem merilu, na kar smo v Sloveniji zelo ponosni. Skoraj 40.000 aktivnih prostovoljnih gasilcev, ki so v vsakem času pripravljeni reševati življenja in premoženje, predstavljajo temeljni del sistema zaščite in reševanja v Sloveniji. Tradicija slovenskih gasilskih društev se je začela pred 170 leti in je vedno predstavljala mnogo več od borbe proti požarom. Gasilski domovi so bili center kulturnega življenja in ohranjanja slovenskega jezika, ki je bil poveljevalni jezik v gasilstvu desetletja preden je bil prvič uporabljen v vojaških enotah.
Med odmevno predstavitvijo slovenskega gasilstva je dr. Musar povedal tudi, da so prostovoljna gasilska društva v nekaj dneh zbrala donacijo opreme, ki jo bodo prejeli njihovi kolegi v Ukrajini. Poseben aplavz sta prejela predstavnika slovenskih gasilcev Neža Strmole in Anže Bitenc, ki ju je dr. Musar predstavil zbranim visokim gostom in številnemu občinstvu v zgodovinskem kompleksu Sv. Sofije v centru Kijeva.
Slovensko prostovoljno gasilstvo ima v »Slovarju odpornosti«, ki je kot knjiga izšlo ob 6. vrhu soprog in soprogov voditeljev držav, svoje prav posebno poglavje.
Video utrinki predstavitve dr. Musarja
Govor dr. Musarja v angleškem jeziku
Dear Olena, colleagues, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen!
How do you speak about resilience in Ukraine, a country which has become a very embodiment of this term? Humbly. Yet with pride, because the Slovenian contribution to the vocabulary of resilience is something we are truly proud of voluntary firefighting.
In fact, in Slovenian we don’t even mention “voluntary”. When you say “gasilci”, voluntary is assumed and you have to emphasise specially if that’s their job and say “poklicni gasilci”.
Standing together when a disaster strikes is a mark of a strong community. Being prepared and organised for saving lives and property is a mark of planned resilience. But voluntary firefighting societies in Slovenia were always much more than that. Slovenia, like Ukraine, was for centuries part of foreign empires. In fact, Western Ukraine and Slovenia were for about 150 years even in the same, Austrian empire. Preserving language was a defining characteristic of Slovenian national identity. Slovenian was a command language in firefighting decades before it was first used in the military. Fire departments were not just garages for fire engines but centres of cultural life in the villages, organised by the individual voluntary firefighting societies which are still the core and the base of the activities joined together under the umbrella of the Slovenian Firefighters Association.
In happier times, when we will be composing a vocabulary of entertainment, Slovenian contribution will most likely be firefighters’ party. This is organised annually by each of the over 1300 voluntary firefighting societies. And these are the main village parties of the year, popular in the cities as well. In fact, my own village will have it this Friday.
Today, there are over 170.000 members of Firefighters Association, from children to veterans, and that represents over 8 % of the total population of Slovenia. In matters of minutes, firefighters are where they are needed. Just a few weeks ago, a remote farm in the mountains caught fire. In 20 minutes, there were firefighters from 6 neighbouring villages. 37.000 active voluntary firefighters are prepared at any time to fight disasters on their own or as a part of the state system which includes professional firefighters’ brigades, Civil Protection, medical staff, police and the army, when needed. In two thirds of the cases, it is not about the fire. The system is activated when any kind of a disaster strikes.
When speaking about resilience in Slovenia, two words suffice: voluntary firefighting. When speaking about the firefighters, one word is enough: solidarity. When we started planning the attendance at the Summit, our firefighters asked the firefighting societies for donations of equipment for Ukrainian colleagues. In a few days, enough was collected to fill a van which will bring equipment that State Emergency Services of Ukraine will receive and direct to firefighters in Chernihiv. Today there are with me Neža Strmole, international cooperation adviser at the Slovenian Firefighters Association, and Anže Bitenc, Assistant Commander of the Association. Neža and Anže, will you please show yourselves? If you want to see an image of Slovenian resilience, look at them. And if you want to see the faces of Slovenian solidarity – there they are.
Thank you. Djakuju.