The update of the model of volunteer firefighters proposed by the Generalitat does not satisfy the representatives of the collective: “It does not address the structural problems and we do not agree with the way it has been done because they have not counted on us; fixes some things but maintains our precarious situation”, says the president of the Federation of Voluntary Firefighters of Catalonia (FBVCat), Miquel Messeguer. The Association of Voluntary Firefighters of Catalonia (Asbovoca) also opposes a proposal that, in all probability, will be approved today by the Council of Voluntary Firefighters of the Generalitat.
The new model, presented by the General Directorate of Prevention, Fire Extinguishing and Rescue on June 14, proposes three areas of action: the recognition of volunteering, both from an internal, public and institutional point of view; the incentive based on consideration, and the ease of entering the group through a progressive system in two stages: a level 1 dedicated to services in the natural environment and a level 2 for all kinds of services.
“If a firefighter has an accident while working, he has assistance at first, but then, if the injuries have caused a disability, since the Generalitat does not have a contractual relationship with the volunteer firefighter, he has no legal responsibility,” explains Messeguer . “We demand a contractual relationship to be covered by Social Security”, he insists.
Messeguer regrets that the proposal has not been presented officially and that the park managers were informed of it without consulting the majority of the group. “In all probability the Council will approve it today because the structure makes it easier: seven votes from the representatives of volunteer firefighters, seven heads of region and the vote of the operational director general count, which is what breaks the tie”. This situation and the disagreement with some of the points of the new regulation has caused concern and even indignation among the collective.
They expect to meet with the general director and the Minister of the Interior, although they already asked to meet with him more than a month ago and are still waiting for a response. “If there are no political and departmental movements then we will propose mobilisations”, adds Messeguer. To define them, they are conducting a survey among volunteer firefighters to gauge their willingness to close parks as a measure of protest and what other demands can be raised, such as a mass demonstration, deregistering vehicles or asking for leave.
Other points of the new regulation that generate discrepancies are the decision to have only one water vehicle and only two in some parks, “when many already have two and having fewer limits our operational capacity, just like limiting 31 firefighters in every park, there are those that need more money”. They also consider that establishing two levels for volunteer firefighters “presupposes a degradation and limiting us to certain functions for a long time, because it is not specified how long it takes to pass from one level to the other”.
In its proposal, the ministry recognizes that the current mixed model of volunteer and professional firefighters cannot be lost “because the operational response to the current risk scenario could not be guaranteed, with the professional resources available”, and assumes that the mixed model is “much more flexible”. Thus, the new model proposes the incorporation of 753 volunteers to achieve the goal of 31 personnel in each volunteer fire station, which are 74 in total, and a training proposal for both level 1 and level 2 volunteer firefighters , and establishes modifications both in the operations and also in the equipment.
