SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 2 Aug. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, emphasised on Friday that the island boasts the “largest deployment” in the Canary Islands to prevent forest fires. This comes after the Bhelma VI helicopter battalion joined the ground patrols as part of ‘Operation Sentinel’ conducted by the Canary Islands Command to monitor the mountains of the island territory.
Dávila, in her statement welcoming the addition of the ‘blue berets’, stressed the “significance” of having all available personnel to prevent forest fires, as reported by the island institution in a press release.
“We have the most extensive deployment in the Canary Islands, and this year we have partnered with the Army for Operation Prometeo. We will have 920 patrols throughout the summer months, operating 24 hours a day in the mountains. Now, this operation is reinforced with the presence of helicopters to aid in the protection of our mountains,” she explained.
She further mentioned that the Tenerife Island Council’s operation runs all year round, and during the summer campaign, it involves 600 personnel from Brifor, the Environmental agents, and the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium. This year, the Army has joined in, further enhancing coordination with the State Security Forces and Corps, particularly with the Civil Guard and Seprona.
The Bhelma VI manoeuvre helicopter battalion, also known as the blue berets, besides its aeronautical capacities, possesses other generic abilities at the disposal of the Canary Islands Command. It is participating in this operation by providing ground patrols in vehicles that conduct surveillance activities in the island’s forests and discourage potential arsonists who threaten the natural heritage.
