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FIRE–FIGHTING RESOURCES OVER-STRETCHED?
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No cause for concern, says Chief Fire Officer
The Chief Fire Officer, Guillermo Mauro, says he would like to clarify the inaccuracies contained in a letter which was sent to the press last week by staff members, and which may have caused concern to the general public.
1. The cover provided by one appliance from the Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) is only unavailable during the silent hours, ie. from 11 pm to 8.00 am.
2. There has been no reduction in the level of resources and equipment available to the City Fire Brigade (CFB) to enable Firefighters to carry out their duties.
3. The DFRS and CFB have a mutual assistance agreement in place, which allows DFRS to provide support on a daily basis, whenever there are no aircraft movements.
However, in the event of a major Incident, all aircraft movements would be diverted from Gibraltar to enable DFRS to provide their undivided support.
During the tank fire at the North Mole, the DFRS maintained their presence through the night at the request of the CFB without hesitation.
4. The manning levels of the CFB allow a minimum of three fire and rescue vehicles to be available 24/7. However, should there be a need to increase our resources, additional off duty personnel can be recalled to attend any other emergency.
5. The pre-determined attendance for any small domestic fire is two fire appliances, thus allowing a third to attend to another emergency.
6. Statistics show that since the non availability of defence fire service cover, there have been no incidents which would have required their back-up.
Finally, the Chief Fire Officer says he would like to reassure the public that there is no cause for concern, and the City Fire Brigade will continue to respond to any emergency in Gibraltar, as it has done in the past.
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