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Arctic rescue center opened in Chukotka

The center employs 50 specialists, including 29 rescuers on duty

MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. The Arctic Emergency Rescue Center was opened in Chukotka, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations told TASS.

"This is the first Arctic center among those we will create in the Northern Sea Route's key locations. It is for the first time that we use a concept, where one block features a rescue unit, a management body and an aviation unit. The Arctic Center has been developed to fit the climate and the specifics of facilities that our rescuers will have to cover," Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov said.

The Arctic center's personnel and equipment will ensure permanent readiness to reduce the response time in case of emergency situations in hard-to-reach areas.

The center employs 50 specialists, including 29 rescuers on duty. They use 25 units of modern special equipment: emergency rescue vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, off-road vehicles, airboats, and boats. The center's key divisions are a search and rescue unit, a day-to-day management unit, an UAV unit, logistics and medical units, the ministry said. In summer, a team of Khabarovsk's Aviation Rescue Center will build up the land grouping.

This rescue center is specifically important for the local population: until now, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has not organized centers of the kind in the region. It will protect from natural and man-made risks the people, territories and facilities of the Russian Arctic that are critically important for the national security. The area of operations is the Chukchi Peninsula and part of the Northern Sea Route, where people live, and where continue developing major economic and infrastructure projects. The center in Pevek is working as a pilot project. Gained experience will be used in organizing centers of the kind in Sabetta, Dixon, and Tiksi.

Right now, safety in the Arctic is provided by the ministry's emergency rescue centers, located in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Naryan-Mar and Vorkuta, and another two Arctic search and rescue teams are working in Dudinka and Yakutsk.