Cucuta on the verge of running out of firefighters due to delay in the transfer of resources for emergencies

The city of Cúcuta was about to spend Holy Week without a fire service. A delay of months in the administration of the resources for the support of this relief corps in the capital of Norte de Santander, led the volunteers to suspend their work from April 13 until they received the funds.

According to the Volunteer Fire Department of Cúcuta, there has been a delay in signing the agreement to collect the fire surcharge tax that must be established by the municipal administration, to establish through what tax and what type of people the contribution charges.

“As a Relief Institution at the Service of the Community in General, we allow ourselves to report that, due to the delays and delays by the Municipal Mayor's Office of Cúcuta, in the signing of the AGREEMENT with our institution, withholding the money from the firefighter surcharge tax contributed by the city's merchants, taken the decision to SUSPEND OUR ACTIVITIES AND EMERGENCY CARE, arising from the risk of fire, the preparation and care of rescues in all its forms and the attention of incidents involving hazardous materials, activities supported by Law 1575 of 2012,” the institution noted.

According to the Cucuta firefighters, in recent weeks they had worked with their own resources to maintain their services to the community, given the lengthy ones they gave to last year's budget, but they no longer have the possibility of financing the operational capacity of personnel and fire extinguishing vehicles without the surcharge. Just as it is not their place to put it out of their pocket.

“The Volunteer Fire Department of Cúcuta, holds the municipal body headed by Mayor Jairo Tomas Yáñez responsible for omissions and/or shortcomings in the care of contingencies that will occur in the city and that their attention constitutes an essential public service in charge of the State, who must ensure the provision efficient service to all inhabitants through the Fire Departments,” they said in a statement.

The tax has been collected in Cúcuta through a 5% surcharge to the Industry and Commerce Tax, which means that it must be borne by companies and public establishments, in order to collect about 5 billion pesos, according to the newspaper La Opinión, for the support of seven fire extinguishing machines, a rescue machine , two water trolleys and a ladder machine for working at heights.

In addition, the payroll of around 75 firefighters and administrative staff of the Fire Department is paid from these resources, who, according to RCN Radio, have not received any fees so far in 2022.

“We are without resources, we can no longer pay payroll, mobilize vehicles and the most regrettable limits us a lot to emergency care. Without resources, we can no longer pay payroll, mobilize vehicles and the most regrettable thing limits us a lot to emergency care,” Cucuta Fire Commander Yolibeth Mejías Rodríguez told that media outlet.

The Mayor's Office of Cúcuta spoke after the firefighters' statement was released, through the social network Twitter, in which it reported that “the corresponding document has already been signed between the Mayor's Office of Cucuta and this body”, although it did not indicate the date of the subscription.

The administration indicated that resources amounting to approximately $5,869 million pesos are expected to be collected as a fireman surcharge, which will be transferred to the Volunteer Fire Department of Cucuta in 2022.

Mayor Jairo Yáñez spread a message in which he assured that the signing of the agreement would overcome “any adverse situation that may arise especially at this time of Easter” and thanked the firefighters for the patience of the firefighters for the complications in the process.

The turnover of resources, according to the newspaper La Opinión, was due to take place this Wednesday, although the fire brigade continues to await confirmation. According to them, there are nine new volunteers who have not been able to receive funding due to lack of resources.

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