Slovak Firefighter Team Continues to Help in France's Gironde Department

Bratislava, 12 August (TASR) - A team of Slovak firefighters is still carrying out its duties in the French department of Gironde, beginning each day with a thorough inspection of equipment, vehicles and personal protective equipment to ensure that everything is ready for further deployment in the field, the Firefighter and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) has reported on social media. "The team is briefed daily on the current situation and is then assigned an operational sector. Its main task is to search for and thoroughly extinguish hidden hotspots that could cause the fire to flare up again. The work requires a systematic approach and a thorough inspection of the entire area assigned to the team," said HaZZ, which noted that the Slovak firefighters are cooperating closely with French firefighting units. "When the firefighting operations are completed, the fire-affected area is jointly inspected with the sector commander. The work of the Slovak team has been highly positively evaluated by the French," it added. According to HaZZ, the deployment also included a meeting with Marc Vermeulen, the director of the Fire and Rescue Corps of Gironde department, as well as the coordination of activities with French commanders directly in individual sectors. The work of the Slovak team has also been praised by the town of La Brede. "As a gesture of thanks and appreciation for their efforts in France, the Slovak team has been presented with a commemorative plaque, which was handed to our firefighters personally by the mayor of La Brede. We greatly appreciate this gesture. It doesn't only serve as appreciation of the work of the Slovak firefighters, but also as a symbol of solidarity, cooperation and friendship between Slovakia and France," added HaZZ. ko/df