Tasks and functions

Functions of the State Fire and Rescue Service:

1. to implement state policy in the field of fire safety, fire-fighting, civil protection and operation of the single emergency phone number “112”;
2. to supervise compliance with the fire safety and civil protection requirements specified in regulatory enactments;
3. to perform fire-fighting and rescue works;
4. to co-ordinate the activities of fire safety, fire-fighting and rescue services and voluntary fire-fighter organisations established by institutions, organisations, commercial companies and local governments, which activities are related to fire safety and fire-fighting.

In order to fulfill the functions, the State Fire and Rescue Service has the following tasks:

1. to identify the state of fire safety and potential hazards in the Republic of Latvia and, on the basis of this analysis, provide the state institutions and local governments, as well as other persons with recommendations regarding improvements of the situation in the field of fire safety and civil protection;
2. to organise and perform prevention measures in the field of state fire safety and civil protection;
3. to participate in the evaluation of measures taken for assessment and reduction of the risk of industrial accidents;
4. to perform and manage fire-fighting;
5. to perform and manage rescue operations:
   1. while fire-fighting;
   2. after road accidents;
   3. in internal waters;
   4. in conformity with the technical provisions and possibilities thereof perform underwatersearch and other rescue works;
6. in co-operation with other authorities to perform measures for urgent emergency response and elimination of consequences in accordance withthe requirements specified in regulatory enactmentsof radiation safety andnuclear safety;
7. in co-operation with other authorities to perform and manage urgent measures for elimination consequences of emergency;
8. to providepossible assistance to individuals in the event of fire or emergency;
9. to provide receiving and processing of a singleemergency number “112” calls and if necessary forward it to other operational services;
10. in conformity with the competence thereof to organise and implement civil protection measures;
11. in conformity with the competence thereof to develop drafts of regulatory enactments regulating fire safety, fire-fighting, rescue and civil protection, as well as to participate in the preparation of opinions  regarding the drafts of regulatory enactments developed by other authorities;
12. to train and organise the work of persons involved in fire safety, fire-fighting and rescue operations, as well as civil protection measures;
13. to inform society in the field of fire safety and civil protection;
14. to collect, preserve and popularize Latvian fire–fighting history and nowadays values in society as well as to promote their use in public education;
15. to perform other tasks as required by regulatory enactments.