Firefighters helping Presov received awards

Interior Minister Denisa Sakova on Thursday awarded medals to three firefighters who took part in the efforts to deal with the aftermath of the gas explosion in an apartment building in Presov last Friday, also thanking everyone who was called to the scene. Medals were awarded for the professional handling of an emergency to the squad commander of the Firefighter and Emergency Corps District Directorate in Presov Peter Bartos, the commander of the fire station team based in Presov Tomas Domen and firefighter rescuer-specialist from Presov fire station Kamil Hosko. "The commander of the operation, Mr. Bartos, was responsible for all the right decisions taken at the scene. These helped to save many people that firefighters evacuated from the blazing apartment building. I also awarded a medal to two firefighters who risked their lives climbing the lift shaft unsecured to the eighth floor to give instructions to people in the apartment building," said Sakova. She stressed that all the decisions made during the tragedy were timely, soberly practical and rational and were the best that the emergency units could have made. "I regret it if pseudo-experts behind the tapes and half a kilometre away from the explosion are expressing their opinions in the media, evaluating what exactly needed to be done," she said.