Sutaj Estok: 20 Slovak Firefighters Leaving for France to Help with Wildfires

Bratislava, 30 July (TASR) - Twenty Slovak firefighters are leaving for France on Thursday to help tackle wildfires in the Gironde department near Bordeaux, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) told a news conference on Thursday. The firefighters are travelling with 19 pieces of equipment, including specialised firefighting vehicles. "Slovakia is joining nine other EU countries and is also deploying this ground-based wildfire firefighting module as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. It's a 20-member team of professional firefighters and rescuers, along with 19 pieces of equipment," said Sutaj Estok, who noted that the helicopter that Slovakia sent to help with the wildfires last week will remain available to the French authorities until 3 August. Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) first vice-president Jozef Volansky pointed out that the firefighters deployed under the GFFF-V ground forest firefighting module are highly experienced, having spent several years responding to major wildfires. "They are highly-trained officers who, thanks to their special equipment, are capable of tackling challenging wildfires such as those currently affecting southern Europe and, specifically, France," he said. Ground Forest Firefighting Module commander Peter Kovalik added that the Slovak firefighting team will face the most challenging conditions that they've ever experienced in France. "We're facing a fire that creates its own conditions, but we are prepared and will have each other's backs," he said. HaZZ announced on social media that the module will be pre-deployed between 30 July 30 and 18 August. The Gironde region of south-western France is battling a large-scale wildfire that the authorities have described as the worst fire-related crisis since WWII. The wildfires broke out in France last week. Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blaze, assisted by aircraft and helicopters dropping water and firefighting retardants. Several countries, including Slovakia, have also provided France with assistance in fighting the fires. ko/df