May 31, 2023 - Commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic handed the director of civil protection Damir Trut a decision on the allocation of funds for the purchase of two firefighting aircraft (Canadair) for Croatia's participation in rescEU capacities for aerial firefighting.

As Index / HRT write, the ceremony was held to mark the tenth anniversary of establishing the Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) and the beginning of preparations for the new firefighting season. Croatia is one of the six countries that will each acquire two firefighting aircraft with a total value of 104 million euros.

Croatian civil protection cooperates with ERCC

The goal is to strengthen national and EU capacities and the ability to extinguish fires in open spaces. The ERCC is an operational segment of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which continuously monitors events around the world and coordinates the efforts of the European Union in responding to disasters.

The Civil Protection Operations Center of the Directorate of Civil Protection is in continuous contact with the ERCC. They work together to collect, analyze, process and distribute data, especially in providing or receiving international emergency aid in cases of disasters.

Croatia should receive the planes in 2028.

In addition to Croatia, five other Mediterranean countries are included in the project: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Each country will receive two aircraft as part of this project. Since Greece and Spain are buying five more aircraft from their budgets, the total order will be 22 aircraft.

According to the existing delivery plan, Croatia should receive two new aircraft in 2028. This year, too, Croatia will participate in rescEU capacities with two of its Canadair aircraft, thus contributing to the strengthening of the ability to extinguish fires in open spaces. Operational costs for aircraft use are co-financed by the EC in the amount of EUR 1,800,000.00.

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August the 30th, 2022 - The Air Force of the Croatian Armed Forces has spent over 800 hours flying in Croatian skies during the height of the summer season this year, as wildfire outbreaks increased in the scorching weather which created a dangerous, tinder dry landscape.

As Morski writes, since the beginning of the second part of the firefighting season this summer, the Air Force of the Croatian Armed Forces has participated in extinguishing as many as 102 wildfires in several different counties, performing 5,682 different flights in total.

Most of these interventions, as usual, took place in the coastal areas of the country, where the heatwave and droughts have caused a number of fires, some of which caused extensive damage. The one which raged near Sibenik will remain in most people's memories.

The air force put out the most fires, thirty, in Split-Dalmatia County, 24 in Zadar County, 21 in Sibenik-Knin County, 12 in Istria County, seven in Lika-Senj County, five in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, two in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and one in Sisak-Moslavina County. On firefighting tasks in II. phase of this summer's fire season, 5,682 flights were realised, about 841 hours of flying were achieved and about 28,693 tonnes of water was released in different areas.

The unmanned aerial systems team was engaged seven times and carried out about 14 flights in Croatian skies with the BZS Orbiter 3 in monitoring high-risk areas for fire outbreaks.

In addition to all of the above, as many as 49 reconnaissances were carried out by fire-fighting aircraft in the coastal counties of the country. A total of 276 requests for extinguishing wildfires have been received by the Croatian Fire Association throughout 2022 so far. On the mentioned tasks, 6,298 flights were carried out, about 948 hours of flying were achieved, and about 31,393 tonnes of water was used, the Croatian Ministry of Defense (MOD) recently announced.

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