This Wednesday, the Community’s Governing Council authorized an investment of more than 16 million euros for the purchase of 24 electric vehicles for firefighters and the reinforcement of their aerial resources, thus increasing the resources intended for the rescue and extinguishing of forest fires in the months when the risk of these incidents is highest.
The reinforcement that the Ayuso government will hire comes a few days after it was learned that a vehicle of this service had been fined by the Civil Guard due to its poor state of repair. The truck emitted excessive smoke while traveling through the region, forcing the armed forces to immobilize the vehicle.
A few days ago, the Community of Madrid was also forced to request help from the Army, through the Military Emergency Unit, due to a fire that got out of control in Tres Cantos and threatened several residential areas. More than 535 hectares were burned.
In the case of new vehicles, the Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency (ASEM112), dependent on the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and the Interior, continues with the renewal of the fleet of light cars, of the compact combi type, known as buses. almost a million. It is also expected that throughout this year another 24 100% electric units will be incorporated, which will add 48 new units, after another investment of more than 1.8 million, as reported this Wednesday at a press conference by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Local Administration, Miguel Ángel García Martín, at a press conference.
Currently, 26 buses are dedicated to technical support tasks, which will be replaced by these zero-emission buses that will be able to access low-emission zones in large cities. In addition, they will have signaling and lighting systems and the corporate lettering of the fire department.
These types of vehicles are used for light logistical tasks, as well as for the transport of material or personnel in the event of an accident, being essential for the interventions and normal operation of the 21 fire stations distributed throughout the autonomous territory. ASEM112 has planned the progressive integration of these models into its fleet to respond to the increasing mobility of personnel and logistical material between the different fleets and to ensure the relief of the personnel involved in the event of an emergency.
Ten additional helicopters
On the other hand, the Government Council of the Community of Madrid approved an investment of 15.1 million euros to strengthen the air force of the regional fire service. This amount represents a 30% increase compared to the previous contract, which was for 11.6 million, and will be used to contract the service of ten helicopters for a period of two years.
Two of these aircraft will begin their annual assistance from November 2024, with a total estimate of 800 flight hours per year. One of them will have as its primary function rescue (search and rescue) and the secondary tasks will be disaster management, firefighting and coordination. The other will be responsible for directing and coordinating incidents, both inside and outside the fire zone, also taking care of observation and patrols.
The other eight will start in April 2025, for the summer season. Four of them will be bomber-type, each with 112 days of annual flight. The rest will be used to transport brigades and extinguish fires: two helicopters for 128 days and two others for 154 days.
