"Spain is an international benchmark in fighting wildfires", says Isabel García Tejerina

In her presentation, Isabel García Tejerina reiterated her condolences and those of the Government of Spain over the loss of human life in the wildfire in Pedrogräo Grande, in Portugal. In this regard, the minister specified that the government has been in ongoing contact with the Portuguese authorities with the aim of facilitating the resources they had asked Spain to collaborate with in the task of putting out the devastating fires.

She remarked that four amphibious aircraft from the ministerial department with a load capacity of 5,500 litres are operating to put out this fire, as well as personnel from the Emergency Military Unit (103 members), from the Region of Madrid (31 people) and two cargo planes on the ground of Castile La Mancha.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs is helping in the task of putting this fire out in Portugal under the bilateral protocol on collaboration in civil protection matters, signed between the two countries in 1992 and extended to the field of wildfire in 2003.

Ministerial resources

During the presentation, the minister pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for supporting the fire fighting resources of the regional governments, and to this end has allocated 85 million euros to these resources for this year, almost 20% up on the budget for 2011.

The minister specified that the department operates out of the Coordination Centre (Spanish acronym: CCINIF), from where it manages all the fire fighting resources and personnel. This centre sends the department's resources to different locations where fires have broken out, at the request of the regional governments, and of other countries in certain circumstances.

As regards aerial resources, Isabel García Tejerina explained that in this campaign the department has a total of 70 aircraft. The main new features this year include two additional Coordination and Observation Aircraft (Spanish acronym: ACOS), to give a total of four planes. For the first time in Spain, four Remote Piloted Aircraft (drones) will also be used at night to undertake surveillance and monitoring tasks.

The minister pointed out that all of these resources operate at a national level regardless of where they are located.

The department also has close on 1,000 members of staff between technical personnel, pilots and mechanics, personnel from the park ranger brigades, members of the ministerial department and other support staff. For the minister, this human asset is the most valuable element of our resources. In this regard, Isabel García Tejerina highlighted the magnificent collaboration from Group 43 of the Spanish Air Force, whose professionals maintain and fly our aircraft.

In terms of the work on the ground, the ministerial department operates through the Wildfire Reinforcement Brigades (Spanish acronym: BRIF), made up of a total of 545 workers. These brigades carry out their work under the direction of the fire fighting authorities of the autonomous regions. They are located in 10 bases that cover the whole country, and hence can act at any location throughout Spanish territory.

The ministerial resources also include Mobile Analysis and Planning Units (Spanish acronym: UMAP), which have cutting-edge technology for direct communication and the reception of information in real time from the ACOS aircraft and drones.

Hermes system

Isabel García Tejerina also stated that the ministerial department has incorporated the Hermes IT system, to better manage its resources globally. This system allows all the aerial fire-fighting resources to be located and viewed at any time, both its own resources and those of the regional governments. According to the minister, coordination and collaboration between all the competent authorities guarantees successful action in fire fighting.

Furthermore, the ministerial department has undertaken to reform and build new bases for the BRIF as from this year with the aim of not only adapting the installations to the new regulations on civil aviation, but also to provide them with increased human resources and to remain at the bases for more months of the year.

Forest restoration

The minister also described the application of forest restoration resources in the worst affected areas as a priority. Thus, in the case of large, serious fires, the department supports the regional authorities in order to respond more quickly and with greater resources to the benefit of the general interest.

In this regard, the department has made some significant investments in emergency hydrological/forest actions in particularly sensitive areas that have been burnt down. Specifically, Isabel García Tejerina stated that in 2016, the department invested more than 3 million euros in restoration works in six provinces. And in 2017 to date, actions corresponding to the serious fires that broke out in the Region of Valencia, Ponferrada and Asturias have been initiated or completed with a total investment to date of more than 1 million euros.

At any event, Isabel García Tejerina pointed out that, in addition to fire fighting and restoration, it is tremendously important to prevent fires from breaking out. To ensure this, forest management of the countryside by their owners is essential. Accordingly, the minister considers that the measures to support forest management are a very important cornerstone of rural development programmes. A total of 2 billion euros has been allocated to this measure in the present period from 2014 to 2020.

The department also works with the Preventive Work Brigades (Spanish acronym: BLP) and the Comprehensive Wildfire Prevention Teams (Spanish acronym: EPRIF).

To end, Isabel García Tejerina called on citizens to exercise extreme precaution when enjoying villages, countryside and the environment, above all taking into account that more than 95% of wildfires are caused by human action.