New Israeli Police helicopters will also assist in firefighting

New Israeli Police helicopters will also assist in firefighting

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Firefighting PlaneThe new helicopters the Israeli Police intends to acquire will also feature firefighting capabilities. This, according to Fire & Rescue Commissioner Shachar Ayalon who gave i-HLS a special interview.

Commissioner Ayalon said the police helicopter squadron plans to replace its current models with more advanced aircraft. “We forward the police our requirements, and we also funding the acquisition deal jointly with them. This will be a substantial addition to our capabilities,” says Ayalon. He also reveals the new helicopters will arrive in Israel next year.

Commissioner Ayalon says that since the commission was established, all firefighting forces in Israel have been working per complete coordination. “The firefighters are operating in the framework of regions which is parallel to Israeli police regional commands,” explains Ayalon. In the past, the firefighters used to work within urban associations, and this was an impediment to better force integration and improved use of resources.

There are currently 7 regions with 21 regional firefighting stations along with an additional 100 sub-stations. They are all positioned in locations allowing for first responder teams to arrive at the scene as rapidly as possible.

Israel currently has some 1900 firefighters. Some 500 additional posts have been added since the 2010 Carmel fire, which was a milestone, a real turning point as far as firefighting services’ resources had been allocated.

“We have an approved plan of operations until 2018. We hope that per the next plan, which will cover us until 2023, we will have 3,000 firefighters,” explains Shahar Ayalon.

Each firefighting course lasts about four months. According to Ayalon, applications to attend mark a high demand. “The requirements candidate must meet are high. We only choose those who are most suitable. We are currently in the process of recruiting applicants for the next course, and we already have 6,000 applications for a course of 100 cadets,” says the commissioner.

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Firefighting HelicopterAyalon reveals that the commission has also established a special unit “a special firefighting team”, as he refers to it. “The guys are veterans of special IDF combat units. They constitute a national intervention force designed to assist in particularly tough cases, such as rescuing firefighters caught in risky situations. The unit is already operational, with a new course underway. Once the cadets graduate, we will have 24 additional highly skilled firefighters with special abilities.”

Fire & Rescue Services are always mindful of the ever changing requirements and conditions, and try to keep up with the times in order to constantly update the capabilities at Israeli firefighting’s disposal. For instance, they established a firefighting unit which relies on special motorcycles. They are obviously capable of arriving at any scene rapidly and provide first response and preliminary assistance on hand. The first aid they provide is designed to enable rescue operations until additional units arrive complete with heavier equipment.

Commissioner Ayalon says that current firefighting equipment acquisition is carried out per an approved orderly plan complete with earmarked funds. “This is a multi-annual plan which is immune to budgetary cuts, with funding coverage until 2018. In the framework of this plan, we are using the funds to get additional equipment, recruit additional firefighters and expand the force.”

Q: Will the force be able to intervene in case of mega events, such as hazardous materials leaking? One example is the ammonia storage facility at Haifa

A: The Fire & Rescue Services’ jurisdiction only applies to firefighting. “If our capabilities in this field are exhausted, then we can only do so much. This also applies to storage facilities of hazardous materials. We can only be held accountable for strictly firefighting issues.”

Q: Are firefighters capable of handling fires in high rises, of the kind Israel is seeing in growing numbers in recent years?

A: All these high rises and skyscrapers come complete with built-in and embedded firefighting means which allow firefighters to carry their missions out while inside the building. “These buildings cannot be entered from outside, but they house all the necessary means, including safety devices. We are well trained in using them.”

Fire & Rescue Commissioner Shachar Ayalon further disclosed that the re-organization, the overhaul of the service, following the great fire of the Carmel back in 2010, has resulted in a highly efficient and professional body. “We are naturally following all the innovations in this field. As I’ve said, we have the allocated acquisition funds, so if we come across any equipment we deem capable of improving our performance, we can get it.”

Arie Egozi i-HLS Editor-in-Chief
Arie Egozi
i-HLS Editor-in-Chief