Help from the air in case of forest fire

France and Italy would be prepared to send firefighting aircraft to Malta in the eventuality of a forest fire here within the framework of EU Fire 5, which provides for cross-border cooperation in natural disasters.

Civil Protection Department head Peter Cordina, who has returned from an EU Fire 5 exercise in forest-fire extinguishing operations, explained that although Malta did not have big forests, it possessed mini-forests like Buskett and Għadira, which would be a pity to lose if a large fire broke out.

Last year, four European countries - Italy, Spain, Portugal and France - came together to form the European Rapid Intervention Force (EU Fire 4) providing for cross border cooperation.

Since the organisation, which later become EU Fire 5 with the addition of Greece a month ago, was concentrating on the Mediterranean and Malta was very close, the island was invited to join as an associate member. In Sardinia, for the first major exercise of the organisation, Mr Cordina was accompanied by the CPD's chief assistance rescue officer Tony Pisani.

Countries within the organisation possess aircraft that have the capacity of carrying tons of water to combat forest fires from the air and which would be available if something similar happened here.

Apart from attending the exercise, Mr Cordina also had talks with Guido Bertolasi, head of the Italian Civil Protection Department, during which the Italian official was briefed about the inaccessibility to Buskett of fire-fighting vehicles. Therefore, personnel here would have to rely completely on aerial means.

Mr Cordina said Mr Bertolasi pledged that a phone call would trigger Italian Canadair aircraft to come to Malta's assistance. This confirmation also applied to any other assistance that Malta could require. Mr Bertolasi will be visiting Malta in July.

Another meeting was held with Colonel Philippe Nardin from the French CPD on the same subject and who also confirmed their assistance in case of need. This subject will be followed up during talks in Malta by Col. Mannin this month.

Mr Cordina also made a presentation to those present focusing on the importance of assistance especially from neighbouring countries in case of a forest fire in Malta. Although some people may think that Malta does not possess any forests, when one considers that the government is already planning to have more afforestation by planting thousands of trees around Malta and Gozo, the problem of a forest fire was augmented, he said.

While in large countries the loss of a small area of forest through fire is compensated by other large forest areas, if Malta were to lose Buskett, it would have lost perhaps its only real forest.

Malta, he said, had its limitations compared to equipment possessed by larger countries but the CPD would be prepared to send personnel to give assistance in another country if such assistance was required.

From time to time, since Malta became an associate member of Fire 5, CPD personnel have already been sent to Italy and Spain to learn how to train other CPD personnel.

The training, exchange of experts, workshops and exercises in dealing with forest fires and earthquakes are mainly directed at having a common operational approach and coordination between the different countries.

EU Fire 5 also aims at reinforcing solidarity and resource sharing between member states and to improve equipment in the areas of radio communications, among other objectives.