June 21st, 2021 - Representatives of the government, firefighters, and army on Monday said at the Divulje airbase that they had seen that firefighters and the system were prepared for the wildfire season ahead.
Defence Minister Mario Banožić, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, Firefighter Chief Commander Slavko Tucaković and the Chief-of-Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Robert Hranj, visited the Operational Fire Command at Divulje.
They said that all the necessary steps have been taken for preparedness for the coming wildfire season but called on citizens and tourists to alert and immediately report any fires erupting.
We have seen that the Operational Fire Command is prepared for the coming season, said Defence Minister Banožić.
He said that the Croatian Amy had prepared land, sea, and air forces for the fire-fighting season.
Six Canadair planes available, one damaged.
Banožić said that six Canadair planes are available, in addition to six Air Tractors and one helicopter. The Armed Forces will ensure up to 200 soldiers on stand-by for emergency interventions and two landing boats and two rubber dinghies.
He added two Canadair planes and one Air Tractor were currently having a technical inspection while a bird damaged one Canadair plane.
Interior Minister Božinović underscored that the government would continue equipping emergency services, including firefighters. He recalled that the second-last shipment of state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles was delivered last week and that the last shipment of 94 vehicles will arrive ahead of the tourist season.
Croatia has received funds to maintain two Canadair planes
Božinović said that the European Commission had just announced that Croatia had been approved €1.8 million to maintain two Canadair planes that will be part of a joint European force, prepared to assist with forest fires across borders.
He added that Croatia would continue to absorb funds from the EU, saying Croatia has been recognized as a responsible partner worth investing in at the EU level.
Firefighting Chief Tucaković said that this year the system would be connected with 96 cameras that will transmit information about wildfires to the Divulje Operational Fire Command. Drones will also be engaged in that task, he said.
"We are in the process of employing 1,172 firefighters in seven coastal counties, which will contribute to improving the entire firefighting system to react faster to wildfires," said Tucaković.
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