The 35-member team departs Warsaw for Madrid on Thursday and will remain in Spain until Aug. 31, according to mission commander Brig. Grzegorz Borowiec of the State Fire Service. A second rotation returns to Poland on Friday.
The firefighters, drawn from Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Poznań, Warsaw, Opole, Łódź and national headquarters, belong to specialized GFFF units trained to fight fires in terrain inaccessible to fire trucks. Ahead of departure, members of the Białystok-based module gathered for a briefing Wednesday, where regional fire chief Sr. Brig. Janusz Kondrat described worsening conditions on the ground.
"The fire situation in Spain is very unfavorable", Kondrat said, citing weeks of temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius and scarce rainfall that have left forest litter and dry grass primed to ignite. "A spark, a cigarette butt — that's enough to start a fire", he said.
Kondrat added that helicopter water drops alone have not been enough to contain the blazes, making ground crews essential in remote areas.
GFFF firefighters carry only what they can transport on foot, using hand tools to clear vegetation and cut containment lines — stripping away forest litter and dry grass down to bare soil to stop flames from advancing. Crews also draw water from natural sources using narrow hoses when available.
The unit will be based in the Castilla-La Mancha region, though Borowiec said assignments will shift according to conditions on the ground.
Junior Capt. Przemysław Beczko, who commands the Białystok module, said tactics, logistics and discipline are central to the units' work, given the limited access to water and equipment in the field. He said the Polish crews would play a significant role in slowing the fires' spread while supporting Spanish firefighters.
Poland first deployed GFFF modules in 2025 to help fight a fire in Biebrza National Park; five additional units have since been created, including in Białystok, where 40 firefighters have trained on wildfires such as those in Wołomin County.
The deployment is part of Poland's contribution to the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
(jh)
Source: PAP