The SAO revealed that Fire Rescue Service has no strategy for purchases of the equipment and facilities
PRESS RELEASE on Audit No. 14/23 – April 13, 2015
The Supreme Audit Office (SAO) carried out an audit of funds utilised within the period from 2009 to 2013 in the frame of four investment programmes, which aimed at development and modernization of material and technical bases of Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR). Auditors revealed that the Ministry of Interior made errors in the programmes’ funding and did not elaborate a complex strategy, which would define overall material and financial requirements of the FRS CR as well as set the fulfilment terms.
With the audited programmes, the Ministry of Interior often modified deadlines, which were usually postponed by three to four years. During the programmes’ implementation phases, the allocated amounts were changed as well. For example, with one specific programme the original budget was three times modified and the completion term was extended from 2014 to 2017. The allowance was increased in two successive steps by CZK 1,800 million in total and later there was a decrease by CZK 450.8 million.
Under the audited programmes, roads were built and machines were purchased but the documentations did not specify the goals or ways to achieve them. So it is not possible to assess whether and how much the individual programmes contributed to the FRS CR’ equipment quality. Instead, the programmes’ documentations were modified so that they corresponded with the actual state. For example, according to the programme Reproduction of the FRS CR’ properties 13 new local fire rescue stations should have been built by the end of 2011. But in January 2012, when the programme should have been completed, the originally planned number of new stations was decreased to only two stations. There was no explanation for such a major change. The original documentation of the program did not specify where the new stations would be located and the estimated unit costs varied a lot from the actual prices.
Auditors selected and scrutinized 37 individual movable and immovable properties purchased for the total price of CZK 636 million. The only serious error was found at the regional FRS of Capital of Prague, which violated budgetary regulations with CZK 300,000 during the construction of a fire rescue station in Modřany. Engineering activities related to a building permit application were reimbursed in violation of the contract before the building permit was issued. Minor errors were found at the reconstruction of the multifunctional facility in Zbiroh. For example, the Ministry of Interior divided an investment operation into three smaller projects and ordered the works under less difficult and less transparent procedures. Auditors did not find any errors with other audited operations.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office