Lower Saxony & Bremen
Airplanes to help fight fires abroad
01.08.2024, 17:32
Last year, firefighting aircraft from Lower Saxony were deployed in Greece. The two aircraft are now to provide support in another country.
According to the information, North Macedonia had previously requested appropriate assistance through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. The operation is initially planned to last seven days. According to the ministry, the aircraft are each just under eleven meters long and can transport around 3,100 liters of water. In North Macedonia’s mountainous region, 14 fires were still active on Tuesday – out of a total of 46 the day before.
The reason for the two machines being stationed in Lower Saxony for several months is an EU procedure whereby more fire-fighting capacities should be made available. Countries should then help each other more if forest fires break out, for example.
Last year, firefighting aircraft from Lower Saxony had already helped fight a fire in Greece. “At the same time, fire protection in Lower Saxony remains guaranteed: in addition to ground-based emergency services, the state’s own helicopter capacities with flexible external load containers are available at any time,” emphasized Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) in a statement.
