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The Department of Justice and Interior reinforces the plan for preventing and extinguishing forest fires during the summer months

 

• The extraordinary operation is made up of more than 1,200 troops for direct intervention in the Valencian mountains
• A new prevention helicopter is added to the aerial means of extinction to avoid improper actions resulting in forest fires.
• The Minister of Justice appeals to responsibility and prevention as essential measures, “this summer is going to be complicated, but we have a powerful fire prevention and extinguishing device prepared for any situation that may arise, since anticipation is essential.”
• The Ministry of Justice and Interior, through the Security and Emergency Response Agency (Avsre), has reinforced the extraordinary device for the prevention and extinction of forest fires during the summer months, which will be made up of more than 1,200 trained personnel for direct intervention in the Valencian mountains.

The Minister of Justice and Interior, Elisa Núñez, has chaired at the L'Eliana Emergency Coordination Center, the coordination meeting of the 'Deterrent Surveillance Plan and special measures summer 2024' through which all the agencies participating in Prevention and extinction tasks expose the actions to be taken and the personnel available to deal with any fire that breaks out in Valencian natural spaces.

One of the novelties is the incorporation, on June 5, of the new H901 fire prevention helicopter based in Viver, but with an area of ​​operation throughout the Valencian territory. Carry out surveillance and dissuasive work to prevent any improper action from turning into a possible forest fire.

The helicopter works in coordination with the surveillance flights that Avsre carries out on forest fire risk days. It may also act as an aerial means of coordination in firefighting tasks. This helicopter is added to the rest of the resources that participate in prevention and also to the rest of the means of extinction, among which are 19 other aerial means of the Generalitat: 9 planes and 10 helicopters.

On the other hand, it was also highlighted during the meeting that this year the reinforcement units of the Forest Firefighters of the Generalitat were incorporated on April 1. Likewise, the improvement in the level of operational efficiency of the service has been highlighted, which has increased in recent months with the activation of 90 hires. 

In this way, since April 1, the 56 forest fire units with the 45 fire engines remain active. Each unit is made up of two groups of five components and each of these groups works on alternate days in ten-hour shifts.

Reinforcement of surveillance shifts

The planned device will also be made up of emergency technical personnel and the Fire Prevention Service, including forestry technical personnel, environmental agents, personnel in the fixed observatories, prevention units, in addition to the fire prevention centers and a team of medium.  

Added to this device are the members of the provincial fire brigade consortiums and the municipal firefighters of the provincial capitals, in addition to the Unit Attached to the Valencian Community of the National Police Corps and the rest of the State security forces and bodies, which will maintain the provisions in the parks and, in the event that the weather forecast is favorable to the spread of forest fires, surveillance shifts will be reinforced.

Elisa Núñez has appealed to “responsibility and prevention as essential measures given the dryness of natural spaces and the persistent water shortage that we have been suffering for months,” and added that “this summer is going to be complicated, but we have “a powerful fire prevention and extinguishing device prepared for any situation that may arise, since anticipation is essential.”

In this sense, the Forest Fire Prevention Service of the Ministry of Justice and Interior has explained the importance of the 'Stop al Foc' campaign, which will remain active until next October 15, so that citizens join the effort and the tasks carried out by the prevention and extinction teams. 

Finally, it must be remembered that from April 12 to October 13 when the pre-emergency level is 2, during weekends and holidays, surveillance measures corresponding to pre-emergency level 3 have been adopted.

A call can prevent a fire

Núñez also recalled that citizens have at their disposal the 112 emergency telephone number that they can call if they witness the outbreak of a fire or if they see smoke in the mountains. He explained that this collaboration is very important since “a timely call activates the necessary resources in advance and can prevent a fire.”

During the summer period between June 15 and September 15, the 112 call answering room will register an average increase of 15 percent in its staff size compared to other ordinary periods. This increase is due to the fact that at this time of year there is a large influx of tourists to the Valencian Community.

In this sense, we should add that the '112 Comunitat Valenciana' emergency telephone number provides service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in Valencian and Spanish, English, French and German.

Finally, citizens have other tools at their disposal to find out about the advice and recommendations through the official channels of '112 Comunitat Valenciana', including the Twitter account and the 112 notifications AP