The Croatian Firefighting Association handed over three new wildfire trucks on Thursday, with Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucaković warning of a significantly tougher firefighting season.
The Croatian Firefighting Association (CFA) handed over three new specialized wildfire trucks to units in Rijeka, Donji Andrijevci and Brinje on Thursday. They are part of a major procurement project for a total of 78 vehicles worth €20 million, financed through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, reports Zadarski list.
The vehicles were produced by a domestic company from Kutina; of the 78 trucks, 40 have a water tank capacity of 2,500 litres, while the remaining 38 carry 5,000 litres each. Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucaković announced that deliveries will be sped up.
"In August we will allocate five more vehicles, which will bring us to 50 to 60 trucks by the end of the year. The remaining trucks will come at the start of next year, as per the contracts. So we expect all 78 vehicles to be delivered by the end of February next year," Tucaković said at the handover in the yard of the State Firefighting School.
This firefighting season has been considerably more demanding than last year. According to Tucaković, there has been a 54 percent increase in burned area and 7.3 percent more fires compared to the same period last year. The fire has consumed 7,987 hectares this season, with 3,400 fires breaking out in the coastal area alone.
"In the last 24 hours, 471 firefighters and 64 vehicles responded to 119 incidents. We monitor the situation daily and take it day by day. We have issued instructions for heightened readiness for all our firefighting communities in Croatia," the Chief Fire Commander stated.
Due to the new heatwave affecting the country, Tucaković appealed to citizens not to light fires in the open, not to discard cigarette butts and glass into nature, and to mow the grass around their homes. This can significantly reduce the risk of fires breaking out.
Meanwhile, the crews of Croatian Canadairs that have been assisting with firefighting in France are currently in the Marseille area, and their return to Croatia is expected in the coming days.
The firefighting commander in Lika-Senj County, Zvonimir Lončarić, stressed that almost all local units will receive new vehicles in a relatively short time, which will rejuvenate the fleet and increase operational capability, both for operations within their own county and for providing assistance in Dalmatia.
Milan Šulter, president of the Donji Andrijevci Voluntary Fire Department, noted that Croatian firefighting is well organized and that the new vehicle will boost the morale and motivation of their members.
