Madam Speaker of the Saeima!
Honourable Minister!
Honourable Chief of the State Fire and Rescue Service!
Dear firefighters and rescuers, both current and former!
Distinguished guests!
It is truly a great pleasure and honour for me to be here with you today as we mark the 160th anniversary of firefighting in Latvia. I am genuinely honoured to extend my congratulations to all of you on this important anniversary, on this very special day – although, formally speaking, the occasion will be marked tomorrow, on the 17th of May.
What I would like to say today is, in large part, something I am sure you hear often – and that is thank you. Thank you for the work and the service you provide on a daily basis, for protecting the safety of our society, for responding to emergency calls, for helping not only people but often also our four-legged friends, and for doing all this with professionalism, selflessness, and – indeed – at the risk of your own lives. Your profession is not only an essential and responsible, it is also an extremely dangerous one. Thank you for your vigilance, your courage, and your prompt action each and every day.
Your work has not gone unnoticed – it is recognised and appreciated. It is gratifying that in recent years the State Fire and Rescue Service has received new equipment and, with joint efforts of the government and the Saeima, we have managed to achieve a certain increase in remuneration. I sincerely hope that this support for development will continue and that both the Saeima and the government will explore new ways to support the internal affairs system as a whole, and the State Fire and Rescue Service in particular.
Your cooperation with the public and state institutions, whether in times of crisis or when providing assistance, can serve as a model to many. Your collaboration with municipalities is also a commendable example. I would like to express my sincere gratitude not only to you, but also to your loved ones. We are well aware that they are the ones who see you off to duty each day with a certain level of concern, and who welcome you home with great joy.
Finally, what I wish for all of you today – because you will be on duty every day, you will have to work every day – is that you remain vigilant, but have as little work and as few call-outs as possible.
Today, I also have the honour of presenting a small commemorative gift to the Chief of the Service. You have saved many homes, helped many people, but I would also like to remind everyone that once you responded to a particularly important call-out – to extinguish the fire at the Riga Castle. Twelve years have passed since that fire. You arrived at the scene very quickly and did everything you possibly could at the time to save this symbol of our nation. Therefore, on the occasion of the 160th anniversary, I would like to present a commemorative gift – the plaque of the President of Latvia – engraved with an image of the Riga Castle.
May you have fewer call-outs, less work, but always remain vigilant and enjoy strong public support!
