The PSOE Denounces Lack of Fire Service in Many Alicante Municipalities on St. Joseph's Night

The Socialist Group of the Provincial Council has denounced that many municipalities were left without fire service due to poor management of the resources of the Alicante Provincial Fire Consortium. According to the party, towns like Ibi or Crevillent were affected on St. Joseph's night due to the dismantling of fire stations in these areas.

The PSOE criticizes that between 6 PM and 4 AM, some towns saw all their personnel moved to cover the Fallas in Dénia or Pego. This situation is considered by the councils as "a serious negligence caused by poor distribution of human resources, poor planning, and terrible coordination."

In a statement, they conveyed that the unions are experiencing a continuous "breach" of minimum staff levels in fire stations. This situation arises from the constant transfers of personnel between stations in the province, leaving the duty shift daily below minimum levels, even reducing these established minimums in some areas like the Marina Alta.

Additionally, they believe this adds to the lack of intention by the Administration to negotiate the old collective agreement from 2002 effectively, the issues in fulfilling the job evaluation agreement signed last year, and the breach of other agreements signed with the social part of the CPBA, among other deficits.

"We want to denounce these serious irregularities that endanger our municipalities, the lives of thousands of Alicante residents, our landscapes, industrial areas, homes, and therefore, seriously jeopardize the rapid response to possible emergency situations and even the integrity of our Fire Consortium personnel," declared Socialist deputy Ismael Vidal.

Furthermore, Vidal added, "the response to emergencies cannot be in the hands of incompetent people who do not understand emergencies and, above all, cannot anticipate them and provide a quick and correct response, as we experienced during the DANA."

In conclusion, the Socialist deputy stated that "we have the best professionals, the best equipment, the best machinery and infrastructure, but there is great miscoordination and a significant lack of political management to provide the best service to the public. We cannot tolerate thousands of people being left unattended, sub-stations closing like Crevillent or Ibi for half a day, when the burning of the Fallas is something planned and marked on the calendar, therefore, an adequate response can be given. It is all a matter of political will and work capacity."