Spain decreased the firefighters in 2024 regardless of the excessive threat of fireplace | Economy | EUROtoday

“It is evident that firefighters are missing. The figures say it clearly. We are six people defending an entire town. We see how the hours work and there are no relays to shorten the days,” Javier García, federal head of Forest Firefighters of UGT public companies, lamented public companies, final week in a press convention with CC OO. The newest information from the European Statistical Office, Eurostat, to which the nation has had entry, preserve this criticism: Spain accumulates two years down in its variety of troops devoted to fireside prevention. In 2024 there have been 39,472, 2,617 lower than a 12 months earlier. The setback is uncommon in the neighborhood context. Only six nations recorded falls within the variety of troops in comparison with the earlier 12 months, whereas the remainder elevated. The setback of the templates in Spain contrasts with the rising menace of fires for local weather change and with a labor market that collectively advances vigorously.

The European workplace information totaling firefighters specialised in city fires, often in buildings, and forest. There are not any official statistics that permit differentiating between these professionals, though the unions have their very own estimates: CC OO calculates that in August there are about 24,000 forest firefighters in Spain, of which solely 12,000 work throughout winter in preventive work.

The National Association of Forest Companies (ASEMFO) signifies to this newspaper that, based on their calculations, there are numerous extra. He states that 40,000 folks work in forest hearth campaigns. “Almost all operations reach 12 months of work a year. Some are reduced to 10 or 9 months, depending on the budget. Many of them, throughout the year outside the danger era, do not have the consideration of fire checkpoints, but are workers who carry out very necessary forest works,” Mataria Miguel Ángel Duralde, president of ASEMFO, in a analysis that clashes frontally with that of the unions.

Back to official information, it’s not doable to discern whether or not the autumn of troops that Eurostat is because of city or forest companies. What is evident is that the 2024 downturn was essentially the most cumbersome in absolute phrases in Europe, with 2,617 much less staff. This is as a result of it was essentially the most populous nation, and subsequently with better templates, amongst which they noticed the variety of fireworks extinction staff return. It was adopted by Sweden (1,587 firefighters), Belgium (910 much less), Portugal (779), Croatia (436) and Cyprus (159). In relative phrases, the autumn of Spain was the fourth largest, with a 6.2percentsetback. The worst determine is that of Sweden, with a drop of twenty-two.8%.

On the opposite aspect of the stability is Poland, with an acceleration of 35,625 firefighters in 2023 to 49,025 in 2024, a rise of 38%. The workforce additionally grows in the remainder of the big nations of the European Union: Italy (from 37,205 to 43,455, 17% extra), Germany (from 60,740 to 65,723, 8% extra) and France (from 47,727 to 51,826, 9% extra). Eurostat damaged down the info for 19 nations in the neighborhood block.

The statistical collection permits us to return to 2021. Regarding then, Spain has received 2,756 firefighters, a 7.5percentrise. It is an advance just like that skilled by the common of the European Union (6.9%), however is much from the nations that develop essentially the most. Again Poland stands out (69.6%), adopted by Croatia (65.5%) and Czech Republic (48.9%). Netherlands (25.7%), France (16.3%) and Italy (10.2%) additionally enhance Spain information. On the alternative aspect, the variety of firefighters in Romania (-19%), Hungary (-21.7%) and Lithuania (-28.3%).

Another fascinating variable is the burden of firefighters in every labor market. This will not be an ideal ratio, since a really dense nation with little forest space may have much less firefighters than one other much less populated and with extra territory to observe. However, it’s nonetheless an fascinating measure to quantify the muscle towards fires.

With that measure to measure, the best proportions are recorded in Croatia (4.5 Firefighters per 1,000 staff), Greece (4.1) and Czech Republic (3,4). Spain, the second nation with essentially the most forest mass of the European Union, ties with the European common with 1.8 forest firefighters per 1,000 staff. It is a degree just like that of France, however stays behind the peninsular neighbor, Portugal, with 2.5 firefighters for every thousand staff.

Low wages

The hazard that states forest firefighters coexists with poor working circumstances, based on the unions. A UGT examine illustrates the scarcity of wages, very heterogeneous based mostly on the Autonomous Community: Forest Firefighters (those that face fires from the bottom) cost 18,000 euros gross per 12 months within the Canary Islands, very near the minimal interprofessional wage (16,576). The state of affairs is just like those self same professionals in Castilla y León (18,200), Murcia (19,000), Aragon (19,200) and the Community of Madrid (20,000).

“Salaries do not compensate,” says Carlos Martín, coordinator of the Forest Firefighters of CC OO. “It is a very risky work, with unpredictable modifications of working hours, of great physical effort, without stability throughout the year, with exposure to hazardous substances, in which you often sleep away from home … That is why there are many without covering places,” provides this commerce unionist. The employer contrasts that “working conditions correspond to those that the labor legislation of application to each group applies.” “In fire extinction a specialist pawn can collect 3,500 euros per month,” says Duralde.

Martín believes that the Delegation of Emergency Competencies to the Autonomous Communities ends in very completely different efforts relying on the territory. He believes that one of many worst is that of Castilla y León, exactly essentially the most in depth autonomy and that extra fires suffered this summer time. “A part of the workforce is in the public company, another in several private companies, another is labor personal, reinforcements that depend on municipalities … is a potpourri, each with its own conditions and structure.” To make anger seen with the overall state of affairs and the particular gravity they respect in Castilla y León, CC OO and UGT have summoned an incredible demonstration this Wednesday, September 24 in Valladolid, cause for the press convention final Thursday in Madrid.

Martín believes that the state of affairs can also be particularly unfavorable in Murcia or within the Community of Madrid, the place the personal sector additionally participates. The reverse, in his opinion, is Cantabria, “that bets on direct management, with a good organization structure and a stable device throughout the year; it is not a precarious model, such as other autonomies.” According to the UGT examine, forest hearth firefighters cost 28,000 euros a 12 months, 10,000 greater than the canaries. The two unions defend a 100% public administration, “so that a business is not made of fires,” provides the CC OO specialist.

Duralde defends that the “best possible model” for the prevention and extinction of forest fires “is that of public-private collaboration, with the participation of forest companies, which provide quality, efficiency and innovation, always in coordination with the different administrations.” He places for instance of those fashions to the Community of Madrid, Murcia or Castilla y León, the latter the autonomy that the unions point out as a paradigm for prevention and extinction of failed fires.

At the identical time, the CC OO professional underlines the significance of stability in employment and professionalization of the sector to enhance prevention and extinction work. “We cannot operate with temporary employees hired four months, who throw 14 or 18 hours in a day, without rest time and nightfall. He has no reason to be and puts us all in danger,” mentioned García, from UGT, final week.

The unionist insists on the “need” of what he calls “vaccinating the mountains” in winter. That is, develop preventive work. This would assist, based on the UGT head, to drastically scale back the variety of hectares burned each summer time: “This summer we touch the 400,000. We have to go back to 1994 to find worse data. Something is changing and we have to answer.” The two unions demand a state pact towards the climatic emergency.

“The problem is that it is not invested in forest management, which includes fire prevention,” provides the employer chief. In his opinion, “greater prevention is not synonymous with more means or personal; it is a greater and better management of the fuel in the mountain, looking for more resilient forest structures in the face of the consequences provided by global warming and better prepared to reduce the spread of a forest fire,” he concludes.