According to the Ministry of the Interior, there are about 6.4 thousand shelters in Lithuania, where temporary refuge could be found by about 1.5 million or 54% of the country’s population.
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Gintaras Bagdonas, chief advisor at the Baltic Advanced Technology Institute, emphasizes that today there is no reason to say that war in Lithuania is inevitable, but the security situation in the region remains complicated and difficult to predict. For this reason, it is important to prepare in advance – the clearer people know how to behave and where to hide, the better they will be prepared for a possible threat.
Simpler and more convenient during home modernization
Edvardas Petrauskas, an expert in the Apartment Building Modernization Projects Department of the Environmental Project Management Agency (APVA), notes that adapting basements for shelters can be planned together with the renovation of the entire apartment building.
“The war in Ukraine has shown that civil protection is no longer just theoretical preparation for possible threats. If an apartment building is already being modernized, it is worth also considering the possibility of adapting the basement as a shelter so that it can serve the function of protecting residents if needed,” says E. Petrauskas.
Adapting basement premises for shelters is included in a broader package of apartment building modernization measures, which expands renovation not only in terms of energy efficiency but also in the direction of building functionality and residents’ safety. Such works can be planned in a general modernization project. Some works, such as heating, ventilation, or other engineering system upgrades, are classified as energy efficiency improvement measures. State support is provided both for these measures and for other works that may be needed to adapt the basement for a shelter, such as space re-planning or emergency exit installation.
One of the apartment buildings where the basement is planned to be adapted as a shelter is currently being modernized in Vilnius, on Pušų Street. In the five-story building, it is planned to install an emergency exit tunnel and opening, an emergency escape shaft, build walls for protection against explosions, widen door openings, and replace exterior doors with armored ones. The total value of these works is 15 thousand euros.
Not every apartment building basement can become a shelter
Donatas Antanaitis, chief specialist of the Civil Protection Department’s Warning and Resident Protection Division at the Fire Protection and Rescue Department, points out that the selection, preparation for use, and use of shelters are regulated by the Crisis Management and Civil Protection Law and other legal acts. This means that not every apartment building basement can be classified as a shelter.
“A shelter is a building, room, engineering device, or other object capable of protecting residents for a short time from life- or health-threatening factors in case of an air threat, as well as from indirect shelling or other kinetic threats during military aggression – blast waves, shrapnel, debris, or stray bullets,” explains D. Antanaitis.
According to him, when assessing whether a room is suitable as a shelter, it is important to consider the strength of the structures, location in the building, tightness, the possibility of safely entering and exiting the room, as well as its capacity.
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“Walls and ceilings must be sufficiently resistant to blast waves and vibrations, safe entrances and exits must be ensured, and flammable or other hazardous materials should not be stored inside the premises. It is also important that the premises are spacious enough and that people can safely stay there,” emphasizes D. Antanaitis.
A basement adapted as a shelter does not necessarily have to stand empty
An expert from the Apartment Building Modernization Projects Department of APVA points out that after adapting an apartment building basement as a shelter, it does not have to be closed or left unused.
“In peacetime, such a room can be used for other purposes; the most important thing is that it can be quickly prepared for use as a shelter if needed. It can host residents’ meetings, be arranged as a common leisure area, or, for example, have a table tennis table installed,” says E. Petrauskas.
Donatas Antanaitis, chief specialist of the Civil Protection Department’s Warning and Resident Protection Division at the Fire Protection and Rescue Department, adds that even when using basement premises for other purposes, it is important to maintain them properly. One of the most common problems is passages and stairs being blocked with items. Flammable or other hazardous materials should also not be stored in basements.
“There are cases when premises are not regularly checked, so at a critical moment they may be flooded or unsuitable for protecting residents for other reasons,” notes D. Antanaitis.
A shelter alone is not enough: what else is important to take care of?
According to G. Bagdonas, a shelter is only one part of preparing for emergencies. Equally important is that residents know in advance how to behave in case of danger, where to hide, and what to take care of first.
“A person must be able to take care of themselves and their loved ones, have drinking water, food, necessary medicines, and know how to provide first aid. It is important for everyone to consider in advance how they can contribute in case of danger,” says the chief advisor of the Baltic Advanced Technology Institute.
The project “Promotion of Apartment Building Renovation” is funded by the Cohesion Fund.
