At the national level, North Macedonia has a unified mechanism for monitoring and mitigating natural disasters, including wildfires. This mechanism aims to protect the population, vital infrastructure, wildlife, and culturally significant sites.
Government bodies oversee relief efforts for natural disasters, including wildfires. These bodies, such as the Crisis Management Center (CMC) and the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DPR), coordinate actions to prevent and minimize forest fire impacts within their jurisdictions.
The DPR is part of the Assessment Group, while the CMC is part of the government’s Steering and Assessment Groups. These bodies form the core of North Macedonia’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) system, which includes wildfire risk management. They coordinate national-level activities and work with eight regional centers across the country.
Responsibilities
According to relevant legislation, the DPR is responsible for:
- Developing protection and rescue plans.
- Training protection and rescue forces.
- Collaborating on risk assessments with state authorities.
- Organizing and preparing the protection and rescue system.
The CMC is responsible for:
- Coordinating inter-departmental and international cooperation.
- Updating risk assessments.
- Proposing crisis resolution measures.
- Executing other activities as required by law.
Effective wildfire suppression relies on a clear chain of command and coordination. According to the Law on Forests, the entity responsible for forest management, typically the Public Enterprise “National Forests” and its regional subsidiaries, initiates the initial fire suppression response. They oversee fire suppression actions and call upon the local fire service if needed. If the fire escalates beyond their capabilities, the DPR takes over operations, even if volunteers and the army are involved.
In case of a government-declared state of emergency, the Crisis Management Center assumes responsibility for coordinating firefighting efforts, including the coordination of foreign assistance, such as foreign aerial resources targeted at wildfires.