The Department of Civil Protection continues to be modernized to reach wider aspects in assistance and rescue. With an investment of over €2 million, the maritime section of the Civil Protection has been strengthened with a new boat, with the aim of coping better in fire incidents of small and medium areas of the sea, as it will also be able to provide first intervention on large ship fires.
A second Rhib was also inaugurated, with an investment of €300,000, which will be used for the rescue of persons in difficulty near the cliffs as well as for other rescue operations. The inauguration of these two works of the sea was done by the Minister for the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality, Byron Camilleri in the presence of the Director General of the Department of Civil Protection, Peter Paul Coleiro.
Minister Camilleri mentioned the series of investments made in the Department of Civil Protection, where in the last ten years the government has invested heavily in both equipment and -training of workers. “This Government has shown with evidence that it believes in Disciplined Bodies. In fact, the capital investment in a year is 18 times more than it was ten years ago. Today the capital expenditure in this department has exceeded 8 million and five hundred thousand euros. This led to the department being transformed into a place with trained workers, with conditions they deserve and with the best tools to work with,” said Minister Camilleri.
The Minister continued that after several investments were made so that the Civil Protection is prepared and has the necessary tools for any rescue or assistance that is needed for operations on land, the Civil Protection is now also investing in order to have the -rescue and assistance capacity at sea, in the shortest possible time.
Director General Peter Paul Coleiro said that this boat offers a quick response at sea with a speed of 44 knots and also the possibility of firefighting, of a little more than 5,000 liters per minute, from the front of the boat and as well as the possibility for the firemen to go up with hoses on the parts affected by the fire where a more traditional firefighting is carried out. “Our islands are surrounded by the sea and this boat is specially made to enter restricted bays and provide the necessary rescue. It can also be used in the function of a fire extinguisher and provide water to the Department of Civil Protection from the shore. As mentioned, the boat itself can be the one that provides the possibility of extinguishing the fire from the sea to the land,” concluded the Director General of Civil Protection.
