He said that thanks to the professionalism and courage of firemen last year, over 23.5 billion rubles' worth of property was saved.
"From time immemorial, people in Russia have valued and respected the selfless work of firemen. The history of firefighting has many examples of their whole-hearted and selfless service to society," the minister said.
The Emergencies Ministry information department told RIA Novosti that in the address to the firemen, Mr. Shoigu recalled that now firemen have new equipment and that the foundations of rescue centers have been laid, which has already given results.
"For the first time in 10 years, the number of fires is decreasing, fewer people are killed or injured. But we cannot relax yet. The fires remain the most frequent and horrible manmade disasters and that makes the work you do every hour of every day, jeopardizing your lives, even more significant," Mr. Shoigu added.
