"Today (yesterday) at the end of the day arrives at the Air Resources Center (CAM) de Moura, the helicopter based there”, guaranteed source from Heliportugal, the company to which the aircraft supply service of that CAM is licensed.
The answer came following questions asked by Lidador Notícias (LN) about withdrawal, last Wednesday, of the initial firefighting helicopter placed at the Moura Air Resources Center.
The same source explained that “an aircraft registered in Monaco has been in Portugal for a month and a half., operating for the first time in our country, awaiting the documentary conference from the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) and some time ago it was accepted by the Air Force”, adding that “it was necessary to rent another aircraft (the one who left CAM)", concluded.
Upset with the situation, the president of the Municipality of Moura sent an email to the Secretary of State for Civil Protection on the same day as the aircraft's departure, expressing “the deepest displeasure at the removal of aerial means, without the municipality having been informed of the reasons for such a decision”, justified Álvaro Azedo.
In the document sent to governor Paulo Simões Ribeiro, the Moorish mayor asks that “reposition a means that has proven to be of the greatest importance and effectiveness in the initial attack on rural fires”, adding Álvaro Azedo that the bureaucratic wait “leaves the municipalities of Moura completely unprotected, Canyons, Serpa, Vidigueira, Portel and Mourão”, finished.
The mayor went further, when listing that the device in question has been operational, and the five air assets based in Beja, Moura and Ourique, between 9 and 15 July did 9 missions with 65 unloading with a total of 4h15 flight time, “being the one with the most assigned missions”, said.
The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority was questioned (ANEPC) about the departure of Moura's air transport, it was mentioned that “the decision to remove the aforementioned helicopter was not made by the Authority. This is a contractual issue and it is the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), the entity responsible for planning, lead, execute and control the processes of demobilization and rental of aerial resources to combat rural fires”, remataram.
Despite being responsible for managing DECIR media contracts,, the Air Force “is not responsible for deciding on the location of these aerial assets” and that it is also the responsibility of the contracted company “to replace any removed aerial assets” and that the unavailability of aerial assets “constitutes breach of contract, causing the contracted company to incur penalties triggered by the Air Force”, justified.
The case had greater repercussions, since at a time when the Delta phase of DECIR is taking place 2024, after the helicopter left the Air Resources Center, A fire broke out in Póvoa de São Miguel and on Thursday afternoon another in the municipality of Serpa, that due to lack of initial air attack, ended up later mobilizing six air assets, four planes and a flame-fighting helicopter and a coordination plane.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
