The Barcelona Fire Service’s forest fire prevention deployment, under way since May, is entering the final stretch of the campaign having recorded very limited damage. The SPCPEIS has stepped up its presence in Collserola by bringing the Vallvidrera fire station into operation, deploying additional staff and equipment, and keeping a constant watch on weather conditions.

Preventive patrols in Collserola

The 208 preventive forest patrols have covered Collserola and the areas where the city meets woodland. They allow crews to check access routes, forest tracks, hydrants, water points and other strategic features that determine how quickly the service can respond in an emergency.

Over the same period, 42 weather pre-alerts were issued, ten of which reached critical level, triggering reinforcements to the resources on hand and special monitoring of the highest-risk areas. The system anticipates when to activate the deployment based on temperature, relative humidity and wind speed around Collserola.

These measures are complemented by information sessions in the hillside neighbourhoods, operational drills, and the year-round maintenance of protective firebreaks and strategic woodland management points.

Up to 31 July, the Fire Service had responded to two forest fires within the municipal boundary, affecting 0.48 hectares. It has also supported operations coordinated by the Generalitat in four fires in Montcada i Reixac, Tiana, Gavà and Cervelló, which together burned around 77 hectares.

Seven new fire engines for the fleet

The award of a contract for seven light urban fire engines, worth €3,472,318.85, renews part of the service's fleet. The vehicles are designed to operate on narrow city streets and feature a 1,400-litre water tank, a foam compound reservoir, and a pump capable of delivering up to 2,000 litres per minute at low pressure and 400 at high pressure.

The previous campaign had already added four all-terrain pick-up trucks and an advanced life support ambulance equipped to operate in woodland settings. Together, these vehicles improve the response in the early stages of a fire and in hard-to-reach areas.

August and September remain a particularly sensitive period for the risk of forest fires, and the campaign deployment will stay active over the coming weeks. Barcelona Fire Service is urging the public to exercise maximum caution in natural areas.