To have more resources to fight fires from the air, the Santarém City Council is investing around €1 million in the Air Resources Centre and the Cosme Pedrogão Municipal Aerodrome.
“In order to obtain these resources, we needed to equip the airfield to supply aircraft, namely Fireboss. At the moment, we already have such capacity,” he explained. CM Airfield Director Filipe Almeirante.
One of the new pieces of equipment is a 15,000-litre water tank and a high-speed electric pump capable of refueling two aircraft in three minutes.
However, there is still no date set for the Fireboss to be parked in Santarém, which complements the response capabilities already available at the Air Resources Centre. “The region is already equipped with a light firefighting helicopter. With two Firebosses and the very good geographical position of the airfield, we can respond to all incidents at a regional and even national level,” emphasizes Filipe Almeirante.
After many years of being handed over to a private association, the airfield has returned to the management of the municipality, which is trying to resolve all the issues raised by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).
The facilities are now under private surveillance and will be fenced off by the end of the year. “500 metres of the runway have also been closed for security reasons, and we are currently working with the 800 metres available, which is ideal for Fireboss,” explains the person in charge, stressing that the investment in the runway cleanup alone should amount to around 400,000 euros.
Author: João Nuno Pepino
Source: CM Jornal
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