The Animal Intervention and Rescue Unit (IRA) launched a public petition to recover the right to use emergency lights and sirens in its vehicles, an authorization that was recently suspended by the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT). The decision came after one of the association’s vehicles was identified as belonging to Civil Protection without authorization to do so.
The petition, entitled “Lights that save lives”, already has more than 6,400 signatures and asks the Government to reverse the IMT’s decision, restoring the authorization granted. The IRA claims that the revocation had no “clear technical basis” nor was it the result of any abusive use, arguing that the suspension “increases the risk of road accidents and delays in urgent missions”.
The association recalls that it has been recognized as a Civil Protection Volunteer Organization since 2016 and that it works in cooperation with security forces, firefighters and local authorities across the country, in operations to rescue animals and people at risk. The group argues that removing priority on roads weakens the national emergency response and “punishes those who act freely and professionally where the State does not reach”.
