UME collaborated in four occasions this summer in support of emergency services from our neighboring country against the hundreds of forest fires that have ravaged different districts.

Deployments were done after the portuguese government activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism or based upon the Technical Cooperation and Civil Protection Mutual Assistance protocol subscribed between Portugal and Spain.

A grand total of 551 military personnel and 128 vehicled were deployed to Portugal along the four interventions, specifically the forest fires of Pedrogrão Grande, from june 18th to 24th, Guarda from july 18th to 20th,  Mação and Nisa from july 25th to 29th and the actual intervention in  Vila de Rei and Mação, from august 13th to 23rd.

The spanish Armed Forces deployment was completed with the participation of twelve Canadair hydroplanes from the Air Force 43rd Group.

UME mission was distributed among participants from the I, II, IV and V battallions with headquarters in Madrid, Seville, Zaragoza and León respectively, from the Emergency Intervention and Support Regiment and from the  Emergency Signal Battallion, both based in Madrid.

The method in all four interventions has followed the same procedure, after arriving to the assigned zone in Portugal, the spanish liaison officer puts himself at disposition of the extinction director, that will decide where to deploy the spanish military personnel.

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