The regional government has rubber-stamped a new emergency response unit, which will deal with incidents across the Valencian Community. It will be made up of firefighters and forest fire specialists, but its formation has been opposed by all of the region’s fire unions. They claim it is a waste of money and will hinder coordination during emergencies. The firefighters believe that the new unit will cover functions already carried out by firefighters and so is a waste of resources.
Nearly 200 firefighters from the three provincial consortiums (Castellón, Valencia and Alicante) gathered at the doors of the Marqués de Rafal Palace in Orihuela – headquarters of the Generalitat Valenciana – where the approval meeting was taking place.
The firefighter had been gathering since early morning, wearing helmets and vests, while carrying red smoke flares, banners, drums, and loud whistles. Their point was made clear by shrill sound of fire tender sirens.
The members of the Consell had to enter through another access door to the palace, eggs were thrown at the Regional President, Ximo Puig, who had to be protected by National Police officers. The Minister of Justice, Gabriela Bravo, she will meet with representatives has said that she will meet with representatives of the three provincial consortiums so that “they can learn first-hand about the project and discuss concerns”.
The new response unti is a long-term project announced in September 2020. The decree went on public display in January 2022. It is expected to be a unit similar to the Spanish UME, with thousands of troops with the technical and logistical capacity to face any catastrophe. The regional president defended the urgency of this initiative after a year marked by DANA, the ‘Gloria’ storm and the coronavirus pandemic