On June 4, 2025 the VFR station of Tsakhkadzor VFRG in Meghadzor was inaugurated in presence of Mr. Kamo Tsutsulyan, Head of MIA Rescue Service, his excellence Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Yutaka Aoki, Mrs. Anna Baghdasaryan, President of the Economic Journalists' Club, Mr. Aaron Sahakyan, Governor of Koytak region, Mr. Narek Harutyunyan, Head of the Tsaghkadzor community, Mr. David Nersisyan, ARCS President, and Mrs. Lusine Araqelyan, ARCS VolFiRe project coordinator.

The volunteer group was created with the support of the Economic Journalists Club with the VFR station built with the financial support of the Japanese Embassy as part of the "Human Security Programmes".

The volunteers were then integrated as Volunteer Fire Rescue Group as part of the Volunteer Fire Rescue System established by the MIA Rescue Service, the Austrian Red Cross and the Armenian Red Cross Society in the frame of the VolFiRe project funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

Meghadzor volunteers attended the Training of Trainers VFRG 2 which took place in February 2025 in Lusakert training center of MIA Educational Complex. 4 training days were organized in community with the AutRC fire rescue expert from March to May 2025.

The project also contributed to the renovation and adaption of the fire truck to the equipment loading plan. Volunteers have been registered as ARCS volunteer and are insured. They all received a complete fire resistant and anti-static uniform with safety shoes. The VFRG was equipped with 5 set of fire PPE, and a complete set of fire extinguishing equipment (water pack pump, radios, hoses, nozzles, hand light...).

Training will continue to the end of project, July 2026, to improve the operational capacity of the group.

This is an excellent example of complementarity between different initiatives, different funding, to reach a common objective altogether.

VolFiRe project is particularly grateful to the Economic Journalists Club and the Embassy of Japan in Armenia for making this possible.