Infoca begins fire-fighting preparations

ALTHOUGH the current low-risk season for forest fires is expected to last until April 30, teams are starting to prepare for a long hard season of work.

The Junta de Andalucia regional government’s forest fire prevention and fighting team Infoca has started to gradually prepare the 39 aircraft which will be stationed in the region this year.

Two Bell 412 helicopters with capacity for 1,000 litres of water and 14 firemen have already been stationed, one in Cartama and the other in Madroñalejo, Sevilla, and these are backed up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s Kamov helicopter stationed at Palma del Rio, Cordoba, which can carry 4,500 litres of water.

Another Bell 412 is due to be stationed at a Granada base on April 2, with the rest of the team not far behind as preparations gear up for a long, hard season of heroic work.