The aim of the petition, launched on the rahvaalgatus.ee portal, is to request a halt to the closure of the Kopli fire depot. “Considering the current security situation, but also the location of North Tallinn and the special characteristics of the peninsula district, with its wooden houses, gas heating and large-scale industry, this is an inappropriate and thoughtless decision,” said Manuela Pihlap, Mayor of Northern Tallinn.

“We need a fast-response command centre in Koplis, and extending the Lilleküla service area here is not the solution,” says Toomas Suigusaar, a member of the board of the Estonian Rescue Workers Trade Union. “Putting an extra burden on the Lilleküla fire depot means that situations may arise where there is no one to respond quickly to an accident. For example, Lilleküla rescuers are busy elsewhere and have to wait for help from further away. This results in loss of life, destroyed homes and jobs,” he added.

The decision to close the Kopli fire depot is also worrying in terms of civil defence and broad national defence. “The experience of the war in Ukraine shows that rescuers have a crucial role to play in the field, they are the ones who get people out of the rubble — NATO does not do that for us. Leaving a population comparable to the size of the third largest city in Estonia without a fire depot is a short-sighted decision, it makes it more difficult in real terms to protect the population,” said Hannes Nagel, head of the Crisis Research Centre. The petition also points to the fact that the country’s only naval port, used by NATO allies, is also located in Northern Tallinn.

The petitioners consider that to exchange the security of 60 000 people for 737 000 euros — pennies in terms of the Estonian state budget — as a result of a reckless policy of cuts is short-sighted and irresponsible.

The petition can be read and signed on the portal rahvaalgatus.ee, the text of the petition is also available in Estonian and Russian. The petition will be open for signatures until 27 October, and 1000 signatures are needed to send it to the Riigikogu. The number of signatures collected can be monitored directly on the same portal, rahvaalgatus.ee. The petition is initiated by the Mayor of Northern Tallinn district, the Estonian Rescue Workers Trade Union and the NGO Crisis Research Centre.

Photo: flag of the Kopli fire depot (Sergei Larionov, 2023).