The Valencia region’s Minister of Justice, Interior and Public Administration, Gabriela Bravo, has confirmed that the entire fire prevention and extinction device of the Valencian Community is fully operational and prepared to activate and mobilise the necessary resources in the face of the risk of possible forest fires in the face of the forecast of high temperatures caused by the arrival of a heat wave. This was ratified this Friday at a meeting at the Generalitat’s Emergency Coordination Centre with all the emergency services and security forces.
The head of the Interior explained that the Emergency Coordination Centre coordinates more than a thousand troops from different agencies. “We are ready to activate aerial surveillance routes and increase the number of preventive flights when necessary if the risk of forest fires increases.”
The Fire and Forest Fire Service of the Generalitat Valenciana, which has 840 personnel, “is going to be operational and watch out for those areas that may be susceptible to a greater risk of fire, such as wooded areas or those in which it is detected that electric shocks are going to take place.”
In addition, “it has been decided that all the consortia have 100% activated their resources in anticipation of any fire.” “What it is about is that we are all perfectly coordinated,” he pointed out.
The Ministry also has 9 helicopters, 9 planes, 45 fire trucks and 56 off-road vehicles prepared to intervene at any time. This year, for the first time, the service of three reinforcement helicopters will be extended so that they are operational throughout the year, which will mean doubling the capacity of aerial response throughout the year, especially in the spring and autumn.
Bravo has asked citizens for “responsibility and to avoid any activity that could put our mountains at risk. And to hikers, to exercise extreme caution and take measures to avoid any accident.”
In order to play their part, Trafico has increased the fines for throwing lit cigarettes from cars, as this is a common fire starter.
