The Generalitat fire station in El Vendrell operated this Sunday with only five personnel, below the minimum of six, in the midst of extreme fire risk. The lack of staff forces the activation of nearby stations such as Vilanova i la Geltrú, resulting in delays in emergencies.
The Generalitat fire station in El Vendrell again operated this Sunday, July 19, below the minimum during a day of extreme fire risk, with five personnel on duty instead of the six that the service itself considers necessary to autonomously cover emergencies in the Baix Penedès. This shortage occurs in a region with a large forest area and a dense network of roads, highways, and railways, but it also leaves the station unable to attend to two calls at the same time. From the base, municipalities on first response were warned that there would be services that could not be resolved without activating stations from Vilanova i la Geltrú, Vilafranca del Penedès, Valls, or Tarragona, resulting in a delay in response.
The station warned it could not cover two simultaneous calls
The message sent to municipalities explicitly warned of this operational limitation.
"There are a wide variety of services that we will not be able to attend to autonomously, so it will be necessary to activate other stations such as those in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Vilafranca del Penedès, Valls, or Tarragona, with the delay in response time that this entails" - Fire station of El Vendrell
In recent weeks, the staff has also stopped doing overtime to demand compliance with labor agreements, proper management of toxic substances, and the availability of personal protective equipment. This protest coincides with several recent fires in the area, including those declared in Bahía Penedès, Alt Camp, and Cunit, as well as other incidents in the region such as a fire near the N-340 in the capital of Baix Penedès.
The open letter details staff and equipment shortages since July 1
The open letter circulated to the public lists several incidents during July. On the 1st, one firefighter was missing to reach the minimum, and two professionals did not have personal protective equipment. Then, on July 3, two personnel were absent. There was also one absence on July 11 and another on July 13, while on July 15, one firefighter was again missing and another professional had gone a week without protective equipment. The succession of incidents occurred during a period of extreme risk, in a region that has already seen fire activations and coexists with a constant exposure due to its road and rail network, as also demonstrated by the pressure from 83 fires in the Tarragona regions. The professionals maintain that they have been raising this demand without response and that the lack of personnel prevents covering the minimums required by the territory.
The region demands an A-category station with nine personnel per shift
Previous protests had already secured the commitment to incorporate a sixth firefighter per shift, but the current demand goes further. The region believes that this provision is still insufficient for its size and for the type of services that the El Vendrell station undertakes. The specific request is for the equipment to become an A-category station. This model would raise the provision to nine firefighters per shift, with a sergeant and two corporals, in order to handle three simultaneous emergencies in the Baix Penedès. Meanwhile, local residents, including those from Vilanova i la Geltrú, depend on nearby stations to take on services that should be covered from El Vendrell, with the consequent risk that an emergency in their own municipality finds resources displaced.
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