The Alzira City Council conducted a forest fire drill in the Murta area to test the effectiveness of its emergency plan. The exercise began when the forest lookout spotted a column of smoke, mobilizing firefighters, local police, environmental agents, and Civil Protection volunteers, in addition to the GERA helicopter, which made water drops from the Racó de les Vinyes pond. Coordination from an advanced command post allowed for evaluating the response in an urban-forest interface with a west wind.
Technical coordination and aerial response in the forest interface 🚁
The drill activated the emergency protocol with direct communication between the forest lookout and the Emergency Coordination Center. The GERA helicopter made precise water drops from the Racó de les Vinyes pond, while forest firefighters established control lines around the perimeter. Local police managed access closures and the simulated evacuation of nearby homes. Environmental agents monitored the west wind conditions, which hindered the controlled spread of the fire. Civil Protection deployed an advanced medical post.
The smoke was fake, but the neighbors' scare was real 😅
Residents of La Murta saw the helicopter dropping water and thought summer had arrived with a vengeance. Some called 112 in alarm, unaware it was a drill. Others, more clever, took the opportunity to ask the helicopter to water their gardens too. Good thing the west wind wasn't blowing hard, because otherwise, even the forest lookout would have run off. In the end, the plan worked, although some volunteer ended up with more dirt than a mole.