01.07.2021
The EUR 20,000 grant of the LHV Repair Loan aid programme competition ‘Who does it?’ was awarded to the Järva-Jaani Firefighters’ Association. The Association, which brings together volunteer firefighters, will use the money to renovate the historic station building and build a safer access road.
This spring, LHV launched the ‘Who does it?’ challenge for communities across Estonia, which aims to provide financial support for the construction or renovation of buildings or objects of significant value to the community. The Järva-Jaani Firefighters’ Association’s project for the modernisation of the station building and the creation of a safer access road was selected from among the 53 submitted projects.
According to Kadri Kiisel, Chairman of the Management Board of LHV Pank, making the choice was difficult, but the decision to direct the money to volunteers, specifically, made it feel right.
‘Initially, we selected six very good ideas from more than half a hundred projects. We then interviewed each project team to better understand their motivation and mission. And so, we came to the realisation with the jury that the EUR 20,000 grant to the volunteer firefighters of Järva-Jaani would directly benefit every member of that community. Knowing that the modernisation of the station building and the construction of the new access road will help volunteer firefighters to do their job even better is very meaningful for both us and the locals,’ said Kiisel.
The fact that due to their sense of mission, the members of the Association have been working for decades for a common goal, was also well illustrated during the competition. ‘The application was very well thought out and the project was presented in a convincing way. We immediately realised how strong the bond and community support of this team is,’ she added.
Tuve Kärner, the representative of the Association which protects the most precious asset of the community – people’s lives – said that the timing of the competition was ideal, since they received information about the support programme just as the interior of the station building was being renovated.
‘For a long time, we had been aware of the bottlenecks in providing security services to our home region. Thanks to LHV’s support, we can renovate indoor spaces and build higher doorways to the rescue vehicle garage, to allow more modern emergency equipment to fit inside. In addition, we can add one new gate for the UTV, an all-terrain rescue vehicle, which until now we have kept in a remote storage facility and which takes up unnecessary time to hitch behind when responding to incidents,’ said Kärner.
Also, a new access road for rescue vehicles will be built, making responding to calls safer and faster than before. Kärner believes that the opportunity to improve the station building will also increase the sense of security in the community, and new and active firefighters will join the Association.
The Järva-Jaani Firefighters’ Association was already founded in 1899, but was re-established 23 years ago. Volunteers of the Association contribute daily to rescue work, accident prevention, fire safety education for the community, and teaching fire-fighting skills. In 2014, the Järva-Jaani Firefighters’ Association was awarded the title of Volunteer Fire Brigade of the Year. The Association also has a number of subdivisions, which have grouped together in the centre for antiques museums, including the Firefighting Museum, the Vehicle Showroom and the Antiques Asylum.
All projects that made it to the LHV repair loan programme ‘Who does it?’ were remarkable and enriched the lives of local communities in Estonia. LHV hopes that these projects will also be implemented under the leadership of active people. In addition to the project of the Järva-Jaani Firefighters’ Association, the finalists were:
- Renovation of the roof of the Kangsti Village Hall and preparation of a construction project
- Establishment of the Kõmsi Welfare Centre
- Improvement of the courtyard of Sinimäe Middle School and building a pavilion there
- Construction of a swing park in Peri Village
- Repair works of Abja Day Centre
With a special prize, LHV Repair Loan supported the painting of the façade of the Soometsa village house, and LHV Youth Bank supported the renovation of the sporting grounds at Kohila Manor School.
LHV Group is the largest domestic financial group and capital provider in Estonia. LHV Group’s key subsidiaries are LHV Pank, LHV Varahaldus, and LHV Kindlustus. LHV employs over 560 people. LHV’s banking services are used by nearly 274,000 clients, and pension funds managed by LHV have nearly 177,000 active clients. LHV’s UK branch offers banking infrastructure to 150 international financial services companies, via which LHV’s payment services reach clients around the world.
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