Romanian firefighters with technical vehicles set out to France for pre-positioning programme in case of wildfires

A first contingent of 40 Romanian firefighters with nine technical vehicles departed on Saturday for France, where they will participate in a pre-positioning programme aimed at reducing response times in the event of wildfires and improving interoperability between participating forces.

According to a press release the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations (IGSU) issued on Saturday, between 1 and 31 July, the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), through IGSU, is participating with a national module specialised in wildfire suppression (using vehicles) in a pre-positioning programme organised by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), with the aim of strengthening the resilience of the French authorities in managing this type of risk.

The programme also aims to improve the training and preparedness of intervention modules from EU member states.

The first Romanian contingent is equipped with three wildfire engines (3,000 litres), a water tanker (30,000 litres), a high-capacity fire engine (10,000 litres), a first-response and command vehicle, a shortwave radio vehicle, a minibus, and a lorry with a logistics support container for forest fire interventions. The convoy began its journey on Saturday, following the route: Arad - Budapest - Maribor - Ljubljana - Padua - Piacenza - Nice - Montpellier - Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, the quoted source points out.

The activation and putting into operation the specialised wildfire module is being carried out in order to perform specific monitoring and fire suppression missions on French territory, in locations designated by the French partners, the IGSU release further reads.

The reinforcement of equipment and personnel will be carried out depending on the evolution of the situation on the ground, at the request of the French authorities, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The personnel rotation is scheduled for 16 July, when another group of 40 firefighters is to replace the current team.