In Tenerife, the Cabildo has a workforce of approximately 600 professionals dedicated to supervising and managing forest fires during the ongoing campaign. This team utilises various resources, including two helicopters, one of which remains operational throughout the year. The Brifor Operation for the Prevention and Extinguishing of Forest Fires was presented yesterday by the President of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, along with the island’s councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, and Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, and the Brifor Operation technicians at the El Gaitero area in La Esperanza, which serves as the central hub coordinating the entire operation. The event was attended by the insular director of Natural Environment, Pedro Millán, and the director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín.
Rosa Dávila emphasised the extension of the Brifor operation, which will run for five months until November 3. She mentioned the addition of two helicopters, one operational year-round and the other during high-risk months, as well as the incorporation of nine new forestry pumpers to enhance emergency response. Dávila noted, “Our experience shows that work in the interface zone requires more versatile vehicles for navigating narrow streets. We have also bolstered our staff levels.”
Dávila pointed out that the predicted harsh summer ahead is due to an exceptionally dry winter, where 90% of attempted fires are contained before escalating. She highlighted the importance of the Cabildo’s prevention efforts and community awareness programmes. She mentioned ongoing work on the Medianía Plan to educate and collaborate with residents to maintain clean surroundings around their homes.
Blanca Pérez urged the public to exercise extreme caution when engaging in activities in mountainous areas. She stressed the importance of enhancing prevention measures and community awareness, which are being coordinated with local councils since many fires start in interface zones. Pérez highlighted the need to be prepared due to the possibility of fires occurring in any month of the year following an extended dry spell.
Pedro Martínez, head of the Cabildo’s Forest Management technical service, warned that the summer conditions are unfavourable from the outset, with the lack of rainfall compounded by high temperatures, resulting in drier fuel that is more prone to ignition.
In terms of ground teams, Martínez mentioned ongoing recruitment efforts to increase personnel but noted limitations in firefighting resources, as fires do not offer opportunities to act in all affected areas. He expressed concern about neglected midland areas near residences and called for coordinated efforts to reclaim agricultural land.
The workforce of approximately 600 professionals consists of 286 Brifor operation members, including 160 from the Cabildo deployed year-round and an additional 126 to strengthen the operation from the public company Gesplan. This figure also includes 47 Teide National Park members and 240 professional firefighters.
Resources
The 286 members of the Brifor operation have at their disposal two Brifor helicopters stationed at Tenerife South airport. These helicopters are equipped with a capacity of 1,000 litres each as light bombers. This year, one helicopter will be available year-round, while the second will operate from April 23 to November 18.
On land, the operation includes 2 main pumpers with a capacity of 7,000 litres each; 19 forestry pumpers ranging from 3,500 to 5,000 litres (including 9 newly acquired ones); 5 medium pumpers with a capacity of 1,800 litres; and 30 light pick-up pumpers with a capacity of 500 litres each. Additionally, there is an Advanced Command Post vehicle and 29 all-terrain transport vehicles. Long-term retardants are available for land application during firefighting operations.
The Brifor operation is supported by 13.5 Brivam specialists who can be transported by helicopter to the scene to combat fires in various configurations depending on the conditions and fire type.
