Cristina Hodgson
INFOCA, the agency that deals with fire emergencies in Andalucia, is preparing for the high-risk season which begins today, on June 1, and continues until mid-October.
The service has a higher budget for Malaga province this year as well as more staff.
Most of the budget, nearly €21.3 million, will be used for fighting fires while the rest is for preventive work.
For this campaign, the Infoca Plan will have a total of 498 personnel in the province, the majority of which are fire fighters, but also workers from the Environment and Water Agency, medical personnel, pilots, mechanics and administrative staff.
In terms of technical resources, the Infoca provincial land fleet will be made up of 13 heavy firefighting vehicles, 61 all-terrain vehicles for transporting personnel, a mobile Meteorology and Transmissions Unit and a mobile Analysis and Planning Unit.
The air resources available for the 2022 operation will include three helicopters (one medium-heavy, one heavy Superpuma and one light transport and extinguishing helicopter), as well as two State amphibious aircraft.
Additionally, four aerial drones will be available at regional level to support firefighting management at night, when the aircrafts are no longer able to fly.
As every year, the 112 emergency number will be the reference telephone number for alerting of possible fires and for coordinating and mobilising all the necessary operatives.
Last year saw 5,059 fire-related calls made during the high-risk summer period.
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