Estela Silva / Lusa
The Air Force holds civil protection for the location of fire -fighting air, stressing that it only has the hiring process, and provides for the availability of two more aircraft by the end of the month.
This week, the mayors of the municipalities of Grândola (CDU), in the district of Setúbal, Ourique and Moura (both PS), in the district of Beja, alerted to the LACK OF AIR FIRE FIGHTING and appealed to an urgent solution.
The placement of helicopters in the airpeth centers of these three Alentejo municipalities (one in each municipality) was scheduled for 1 of this month, as part of the 2025 Rural Fire Fighting Device, which did not happen.
The lack of air media in the district of Beja, where this week launches several rural fires, has also been contested by the intermunicipal community of Alentejo Litoral (Cimal) and the PS.
“The responsibility of the Air Force is given to the process of hiring the air, and the location of its employment defined by APPEC being [Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil]”Refers to the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), in a response sent to Lusa.
The National Operational Directive (DON) that establishes the decir provides for the period from 1 to 30 June, called ‘Charlie Level’, 76 air assets. However, only 67 aircraft are currently current, as two of the 69 available are “inoperative for maintenance,” according to Anepc and FAP.
“Currently, they are available to decide a total of 69 air assets, of which 47 helicopters and 22 aircraft. Of these, two light helicopters are temporarily unavailable in correction of undopted damage, the responsibility of the contracted companies themselves,” the Air Force needs.
In a response sent to Lusa on Wednesday, Civil Protection reported that inoperative light helicopters for maintenance are headquartered at the Air Centers (CMA) of Arcos de Valdez (Viana do Castelo) and Santa Comba Dão (Viseu). In Arcos de Valdevez there is another operational helicopter.
About the lack of air media in the district of Beja Anepc has not advanced with any justification and the Air Force says it is not responsible for the location.
FAP also advances to Lusa that “by the end of the month it is expected to sign the contract relating to two light planes”, the device to have 71 air assets available. The decir will be reinforced again on July 1, the time considered most critical in fires, and at this time 79 air media are foreseen.
In early June, when he entered the ‘Charlie Level’, a source of the sector told Lusa that the lack of air media was related to the documentation to operate and lack of candidates in the contests.
At the end of May, the PJ was related to public tenders to combat fire.
