Firefighters put in long shift
VOLUNTEER firefighters in Jávea put in 2,700 hours of service during 2018 covering the southern area of their adopted town.
The 17-strong team is officially known as the Volunteers of Balcón al Mar and together cover the areas of Granadella – which suffered most on the notorious 2016 wildfire – Cabo la Nao, La Guardia, and Rafalet.
They currently number 16 men and one woman; they train together and in previous lives have dealt with emergency situations as police officers, marines, soldiers, firemen and nurses.
The fire team, which is based at the Balcón al Mar station, mount a seasonal fire watch on the areas of forest amd also respond to help control wildfires, flooding and other emergencies...but leave house fires to the professionals.
The volunteers are partially funded with a €5,000 grant but with the team costing around €25,000 a year to run, fund raising is also necessary.
The commander of the team, Terry Curran said: “We take care of Jávea because we feel it is our town even though we are not born here. We live in this locality with our families – and we appreciate it equally.”
As well as the team’s fire engines, each member of the group needs expensive personal equipment, as well as things like water hoses, pumps and communication equipment.