Summer is almost upon us. That means barbecues, beaches and ice cream, but the reality is, it also means bracing ourselves for the upcoming wildfire season. That is why the EU has this week taken proactive measures to bolster firefighting efforts in order to better protect our communities and the environment.
For 2024 the EU has put together 556 firefighters from 12 countries that will be strategically prepositioned across key locations in Europe this summer, such as in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. They will stand ready to support local fire brigades, when the scale of a wildfire overwhelms the response capabilities of a country. In addition, there will be a dedicated rescEU fleet of firefighting aircraft for this summer, consisting of 28 airplanes and 4 helicopters stationed in 10 Member States.
€600 million in EU funds has also been allocated to acquire additional firefighting aircraft. The extra funding will go towards buying 12 new firefighting planes in the future, which will be distributed among six EU Member States, as well as several helicopters.
Wildfire prevention, preparedness and response actions work hand in hand to save lives, livelihoods and protect the environment. As the impact of climate change is felt more acutely every year, the threat of wildfires grows too, making it ever more important to be well prepared.
For more information
Emergency Response Coordination Centre
Press release: EU boosts readiness to combat 2024 wildfire season
EU Protects: How Europe came together to fight forest fires
Advance report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023
