James Warren
FIREFIGHTERS at the headquarters of Cordoba’s capital have been left in a precarious situation after first response truck was wrecked in a road traffic accident.
The truck was severely damaged in a collision with the central reservation whilst responding to a call, leaving it inoperable and requiring significant repairs.
The accident has left the station with just two active engines in service as the stricken truck joins another that has been parked for three years after suffering substantial damage whilst in operation.
Fire chiefs have warned that is the situation is not remedied, the safety of the residents of Cordoba is in jeopardy.
“We had been warning about it, and we will continue to denounce the precarious situation that the firefighters of the Cordoban capital are experiencing,” said a representative of the Andalusian Union of Firefighters (SAB).
“The station operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and therefore needs a fleet of vehicles that is maintained to the highest quality.”
However the station has seen its aging fleet of first response vehicles decrease dramatically through accidents, with the remaining vehicles in a state of disrepair.
“Some of the fire engines take up to two minutes to start, two minutes that could mean the difference between life and death and a fact that puts many firefighters in a deep state of anxiety when the receive a call.” said the SAB.
The SAB states that some of the vehicles at the station are more than 25 years old and do not currently meet the requirements of a modern emergency service.
“We have been informing the delegates multiple times that we have had a truck parked up for more than three years, but we have received no help, we pay for repairs ourselves at times and that is a costly endeavor.”
The union demands that the fleet is brought up to date with help from the regional government and that it is given the same focus as other provincial capitals in Andalucia.
