Over a hundred warnings in just over a month in the 'Centinela Gallego' operation

The Armed Forces patrols taking part in the “Centinela Gallego” operation, members of the 7th Light Infantry Brigade “Galicia” (Army) and of the Northern Regiment of Marine Infantry (Navy), have issued 111 warnings since they started to take part in the forest fire prevention mechanism in the Spanish region of Galicia on 15 July.

Out of those warnings, 43 never went beyond the initial stage, 45 were fires and 23 turned out to be stubble burnings. The warnings were possible thanks to the 24 hours a day, seven days a week deployment of the patrols and the nearly 260,000 km they have walked.

The operation led to early alerts which contributed to swift action by firemen from the Xunta de Galicia, the regional government, thereby increasing their effectiveness. In addition, the patrols are welcomed and supported by the residents, who acknowledge that vigilance and deterrence measures contribute to the prevention of forest fires. Those measures require the collaboration of civil authorities, security forces and Xunta services.

Over 450 soldiers had taken part in the operation by 21 August. Those from the 7th Brigade “Galicia”, who have their HQ in Figueirido (Pontevedra), patrol the provinces of Pontevedra and Ourense. Members of the Northern Regiment of Marine Infantry, with HQ in Ferrol, do likewise in A Coruña.