Press Release
Issued by Babcock Mission Critical Services Espana.
February 25, 2013
On Friday last, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Miguel Arias Cañete, opened the forest firefighting base in Serradilla, Caceres, located in Monfragüe, together with the government's delegate in Extremadura, Germán López Iglesias, the President of the regional Government, José Antonio Monago, the President of the Extremadura Parliament, Fernando Manzano, and other authorities from the region. The event was attended by INAER Spain's Sales Director, Antonio Martínez. This new helibase is the only base in the Plan Infoex that features a helicopter operated all year round by INAER.
The new helibase, which has received an investment of EUR 1.8 million and which replaces the existing helicopter base inside Monfragüe National Park, aims to improve the forest fire prevention services in this protected area without altering its ecological value or the landscape.
In the opening ceremony, the minister stressed that the base will feature basic prevention, surveillance and firefighting tasks, and will serve as a centre for further training and for practising firefighting manoeuvres and operations.
It is one of the most complete and modern bases currently existing in Spain with space for several helicopters and a hangar to provide shelter for them, a 29x29 metre helipad which will allow the larger aircraft used in firefighting to operate, an office for the fire coordinator, a room for staff training and separate offices for helicopter crew members, a garage for firefighting vehicles, a warehouse and other facilities.
In addition to "ensuring integration" with the environment and the landscape, Miguel Arias Cañete stressed that the new base "has been built considering the employees who provide their services here", who will have access to the necessary "comforts" to, as far as possible, "alleviate the conditions of their arduous work on the mountain". As pointed out by the minister, the employees will be carrying out tasks of prevention, surveillance and firefighting in a catchment area of 156,000 hectares, exceeding the size of the Park.
