The firefighters are often the first to arrive at the scene of a traffic accident. The 50 professional personnel on duty each day – 230 form the total workforce – of the Consortium for Extinction and Prevention of Fire and Rescue of Tenerife are perfectly prepared to act quickly in the face of any contingency on the Island’s roads. A factor that has almost tripled in the last year with 510 interventions on the roads during 2024. This is demonstrated in the V Centenary Square of La Orotava, which hosts the I Intervention Meeting in this type of incident. An initiative organised by the Cabildo with the collaboration of the northern town council.
Teams
During the day, six firefighting teams from the seven professional stations spread across the Island performed live demonstrations of how to proceed in a traffic accident. Extrication of trapped persons, stabilisation of vehicles and intervention protocols were some of the manoeuvres closely followed throughout the morning by locals and visitors who packed the venue set up in the northern municipality’s town centre. The event serves not only as a space for ongoing training for professionals but also as a tool for raising awareness among the public. The ability to watch how an accident is managed in real-time allows an understanding of the complexity of each intervention and the importance of following traffic regulations.
80 Personnel
The officer Luis Castro highlights the participation of about 80 personnel during the day, with the aim of “practicing the work of the last eight months that we have carried out in the Consortium with colleagues from the seven Island stations”. He also explains that this meeting aims to share and make visible “updates in manoeuvres and intervention systems in traffic accidents” in response to the surge in vehicles with new technologies and propulsion models.
Training
Castro details the value of training provided by professionals from different fields. It addresses aspects such as the characteristics of vehicles with different propulsion models, whether electric, hybrid, or gas-powered. This was specifically relayed to the commanders last year through theoretical and practical training and this 2025 in ongoing exercises for all personnel via a service company.
Updating
The Tenerife firefighters are trained not only in new technologies but also in active or passive protection models that may be affected during an intervention. Castro explains risks such as, for example, an airbag deploying, or, he mentions, “considering a host of systems that are being incorporated into vehicles”.
Protocols
Furthermore, protocols have been changed to activate professionals even if no one is trapped inside the vehicle. This allows action in conjunction with security forces such as the Civil Guard and Local Police or on-duty healthcare personnel. Officer Castro explains that “we move from the first minute and have an adequate territorial deployment. We work to ensure that no major population centre is more than 15 minutes away from activation in the station”. Regarding the La Orotava meeting, he is positively surprised by the public’s participation throughout the day, where six teams from the seven professional stations – the next one will open in Arona – in Tenerife took part, along with eight volunteer firefighters. In 2024, the Tenerife firefighters carried out 510 interventions in traffic accidents, representing an increase of 147.57% compared to the previous year. This figure highlights two aspects. On one hand, the increase in accidents, and on the other, the improvement in the Consortium’s response capacity.
Strategy
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, highlights the importance of bringing the work of the emergency services closer to the public. She values a meeting that showcases the high level of preparation and professionalism of our firefighters. She also highlights that “behind every intervention there is commitment, effort, and service vocation”. She considers it essential that citizens know these teams “trained, coordinated, and willing to save lives in the most critical moments”. Dávila emphasises: “Our aim is to reinforce training, prevention, and awareness around road safety”. She concludes: “Preventing saves lives, and acting quickly and precisely does too”.
After Fires and Rescues
The president of the Consortium and Island Director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín, notes that intervention in traffic accidents is the most frequent after fires and rescues. Therefore, he sees this meeting as “a unique opportunity to learn, understand, and support the work of our firefighters”. The Safety Councillor of the municipality, Narciso Pérez, describes the town of La Orotava as “proud” to have hosted the I Meeting. He hopes that, with the success of this first edition, it will be repeated in other years as a meeting point between professionals and citizens. The event in the town was a simulation, but accidents occur every day on the Island’s roads, and knowing how to face these critical situations is key. With the Tenerife firefighters always at the forefront.
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