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Pedro Blanco guarantees the maximum collaboration of the Government in the fight against fire with more than 4,000 troops and 8 aircraft in Galicia

19/07/2024
Pedro Blanco guarantees the maximum collaboration of the Government in the fight against fire with more than 4,000 troops and 8 aircraft in Galicia

The delegate learned about the operation of the hydroplane of the Ministry of Ecological Transition known as FOCA’, capable of discharging 6,000 liters of water in just two seconds in the area of the fire He informed that, just as the means destined in Galicia can provide service in other territories, the Xunta will be able to count on all the necessary troops, even those from other areas, in the case of specifying them. He recalled that the fight against the fires is a competition of the Xunta in which the Government provides its assistance through the ministries of Ecological Transition, Defense and Interior.

The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, guaranteed today in Santiago “the maximum collaboration of the Government in the fight against fire”. He did so during a visit to the facilities of the military airfield, which serves as the base of the hydroplanes of the Ministry of Ecological Transition known as Foca’, in which he reported that the Government collaborates with about 4,000 troops, 8 aircraft and about thirty drones in this anti-fire campaign in Galicia.

During the same, in which he was accompanied by the head of the airfield, Lieutenant Colonel Juan Pedro Velázguez-Gaztelu, and the subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, the delegate learned about the operation of the amphibious aircraft of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), known as FOCA’ and operated by pilots of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) of the 43 Air Force and Space Air Operation Group. Pedro Blanco reported that Galicia will have two of these aircraft, which have a flight autonomy of four hours and are capable of loading 6,000 liters in 12 seconds and unloading them in the fire area in just two seconds.

“They are media that have their operational base in Galicia but can provide service in other areas. Likewise, Galicia will have all the necessary means to deal with the fires,” said the delegate, who recalled that the fight against fires is a competence of the Xunta in which the Government provides its help. “A selfless collaboration that makes available to the Autonomous Government the technical and human resources of MITECO, and the ministries of Defense and the Interior,” he said.

The delegate also said that the government is renewing the MITECO aircraft fleet with an investment of 350 million euros. This money will be used to buy seven new aircraft from the Canadian company De Havilland and to modernize the 14 Canadair CL-215 and CL-415 aircraft (the ‘FOCA’) it currently has. The ministry's forecast and having the fleet renewed in 2028.

Finally, Pedro Blanco thanked all the professionals who provide this “valuable service to the conservation of our environment” for their work and dedication to fight the “scourge” of forest fires in Galicia.