69 Romanian firefighters return from Serbia after two weeks of operations to battle forest fires

The 69 Romanian firefighters sent to Serbia to battle forest fires will return home on Saturday, after two weeks of complex operations carried out in difficult terrain conditions. The mission took place at the request of the Serbian authorities, through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

At the end of August, Romania mobilized a ground module made up of 69 personnel and 15 technical resources from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and its subordinate units. The firefighters come from the counties of Arad, Bihor, Brașov, Hunedoara, Ialomița, Sălaj, Sibiu, Timiș and Vâlcea.

The operations focused mainly on fires in the Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares were affected. A Black Hawk RescEU aircraft was also sent to support the operations, carrying out seven water drops with the Bambi Bucket system.

A Black Hawk S-70M rescEU helicopter operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ General Inspectorate of Aviation took part in extinguishing fires in hard-to-reach areas. This was its first international mission. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations thanked the Romanian firefighters and their Serbian counterparts for their cooperation.

The mission took place at the request of the Serbian authorities, through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Romania mobilized a ground module made up of 69 personnel and 15 technical resources from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and its subordinate units. The firefighters come from the counties of Arad, Bihor, Brașov, Hunedoara, Ialomița, Sălaj, Sibiu, Timiș and Vâlcea. Operations focused mainly on fires in the Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares were affected. A Black Hawk RescEU aircraft carried out seven water drops with the Bambi Bucket system. A Black Hawk S-70M rescEU helicopter operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ General Inspectorate of Aviation took part in extinguishing fires in hard-to-reach areas. This was its first international mission. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations thanked the Romanian firefighters and their Serbian counterparts for their cooperation. It was also confirmed that the 69 firefighters will return home on Saturday after two weeks of complex operations in difficult terrain conditions. The Romanian team has been involved in the response to forest fires in Serbia since the end of August, providing support at the request of the Serbian authorities. The mission was carried out through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which facilitated the deployment of Romanian emergency response resources. The affected area included the Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares were impacted by the fires. The Black Hawk S-70M rescEU helicopter’s participation marked its first international mission, while the Black Hawk RescEU aircraft completed seven water drops using the Bambi Bucket system. The Romanian firefighters came from Arad, Bihor, Brașov, Hunedoara, Ialomița, Sălaj, Sibiu, Timiș and Vâlcea, and were supported by 15 technical resources from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and its subordinate units. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations expressed its appreciation to the Romanian firefighters and their Serbian counterparts for their cooperation during the operation.

The mission involved complex operations in challenging terrain, including hard-to-access areas where the Romanian Black Hawk S-70M rescEU helicopter helped extinguish fires. The deployment demonstrated cooperation between Romania and Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The firefighters are scheduled to return to Romania on Saturday after completing their two-week mission, while the affected areas included the Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares were affected. The operation also included seven water drops by a Black Hawk RescEU aircraft using the Bambi Bucket system. The Black Hawk S-70M rescEU helicopter, from the General Inspectorate of Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, took part in the operation for the first time internationally. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations thanked the Romanian firefighters and their Serbian counterparts for their collaboration. The Romanian ground module consisted of 69 people and 15 technical resources, with personnel from Arad, Bihor, Brașov, Hunedoara, Ialomița, Sălaj, Sibiu, Timiș and Vâlcea. The deployment was made at the request of Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and the Romanian team supported efforts to contain forest fires in difficult terrain. The mission ended after two weeks of intervention, and the firefighters are returning home on Saturday.