June 21st, 2021 - Representatives of the government, firefighters, and army on Monday said at the Divulje airbase that they had seen that firefighters and the system were prepared for the wildfire season ahead. 

Defence Minister Mario Banožić, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, Firefighter Chief Commander Slavko Tucaković and the Chief-of-Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Robert Hranj, visited the Operational Fire Command at Divulje.

They said that all the necessary steps have been taken for preparedness for the coming wildfire season but called on citizens and tourists to alert and immediately report any fires erupting.

We have seen that the Operational Fire Command is prepared for the coming season, said Defence Minister Banožić.

He said that the Croatian Amy had prepared land, sea, and air forces for the fire-fighting season.

Six Canadair planes available, one damaged.

Banožić said that six Canadair planes are available, in addition to six Air Tractors and one helicopter. The Armed Forces will ensure up to 200 soldiers on stand-by for emergency interventions and two landing boats and two rubber dinghies.

He added two Canadair planes and one Air Tractor were currently having a technical inspection while a bird damaged one Canadair plane.

Interior Minister Božinović underscored that the government would continue equipping emergency services, including firefighters. He recalled that the second-last shipment of state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles was delivered last week and that the last shipment of 94 vehicles will arrive ahead of the tourist season.

Croatia has received funds to maintain two Canadair planes

Božinović said that the European Commission had just announced that Croatia had been approved €1.8 million to maintain two Canadair planes that will be part of a joint European force, prepared to assist with forest fires across borders.

He added that Croatia would continue to absorb funds from the EU, saying Croatia has been recognized as a responsible partner worth investing in at the EU level.

Firefighting Chief Tucaković said that this year the system would be connected with 96 cameras that will transmit information about wildfires to the Divulje Operational Fire Command. Drones will also be engaged in that task, he said.

"We are in the process of employing 1,172 firefighters in seven coastal counties, which will contribute to improving the entire firefighting system to react faster to wildfires," said Tucaković.

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November 20, 2020 - The City of Trogir and Hajduk are moving forward with the construction of a modern football camp, Hajduk’s most important infrastructure project in the 21st century.

On Thursday, HNK Hajduk president Lukša Jakobušić held an operational meeting in Trogir accompanied by the President's head of office Jelena Mikačić, Trogir Mayor Ante Bilić, and his associates, Deputy Mayor Viktor Novak and City Council President Ante Piteša.

This is a continuation of the project initiated by the former Hajduk President Marin Brbić, who in July signed a contract for the construction of a capital infrastructure project at the Divulje barracks near Split Airport as a solid foundation for the development and progress of the Split club.

Several important topics were discussed with the priority of transferring land from the Ministry of Defense to the City of Trogir. It is usually a longer process, but with joint efforts, all participants in the meeting believe it will be completed soon. Among other things, project financing was discussed, and various options for external funding sources were considered. Mayor Bilić reported that the City is already working intensively on land parceling and that registration in the cadastre can be expected in about 10 days. Also, the City has already initiated Amendments to the Spatial Plan at the City Council.

A working, conceptual solution already exists, but given the space's value, it was agreed to make an architectural and urban tender for this scope. They will contact the Society of Architects Split, with which the City of Trogir has been cooperating for the last few years to conduct the competition as professionally and as well as possible. Upon completion of the project and complex financial construction, there are permits. The camp's construction is planned in phases, and the joint conclusion of the City and Hajduk is that the camp will be in full operation in the next four years.

"This was a working meeting with the representatives of the city of Trogir, whom I thank for their exceptional cooperation and concreteness. We don’t want to waste time, but be productive. The camp's construction is, along with the success and result of the first team and the creation of a winning mentality, one of the most important projects of my term. I am aware that four years are concise for realizing the project, but the plan is for the camp to be built and put into operation during that period. I will personally participate in the project until a member of the Board is appointed who will, among other things, be in charge of building the camp," said Jakobušić, who gifted jerseys to the representatives of the City of Trogir after the meeting.

"We are happy that this project remains among the priorities for President Jakobušić, as well as with the steps we agreed on at our first operational meeting. Since the signing of the contract and the council session, we have communicated with the Ministry of Defense, and I believe that the transfer of ownership will soon be formally completed. Hajduk's camp is important for Trogir for many reasons, primarily because of the new modern sports infrastructure that does not exist in this part of Europe that will benefit our citizens, and depending on the final appearance of the project, be part of our additional tourist offer. Initially, we planned to build the stadium on our own. Still, the renovation of our Batarija with the infrastructure that we will get through this camp with Hajduk as a partner is a better solution from its aspect. There is no need to talk about the pride of my fellow citizens that Trogir will become the second home of Hajduk. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but the plan presented to us seems sustainable and rational," said the Mayor of Trogir Ante Bilić.

Source: Hajduk website

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