Civil Protection Department acquires six new specialised vehicles

The Civil Protection Department has today showcased six new vehicles it has acquired, which are equipped with the latest technology, including breathing apparatus and hydraulic rescue equipment. The department now operates a total of 12 vehicles , five of which were purchased in September at a cost of €2,650,000.

Two of the new vehicles will be replacing two older Eurofire fire engines, each being able to carry 2,500 litres of water and to pump 2,000 litres a minute, while another of the vehicles, known as Eurocity, can carry 2,000 litres of water and pump 1,600 litres per minute.

The remaining three vehicles consist in two Hi-Volume Water Carriers, which can carry 12,000 litres of water and pump 10,000 litres a minute, and an Incident Support Unit, meant for major incidents, which can be loaded with large equipment which cannot be transported by smaller vehicles, and can hold within it spare air cylinders, water pumps, a generator, and flood lights for night-time operations.

National security minister Michael Farrugia , attending an event in Valletta displaying the new vehicles, thanked Civil Protection personnel for their work, as he explained that an activity by he department in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund is taking place throughout the day.

“We will this year have changed eleven civil protection vehicles,” Farrugia said, “And we will be acquiring drones which will be used to help the department’s officials in deciding how best to act in cases of major accidents.”

Farrugia also made reference to the department’s canine unit, K-9, thanking those who trained the dogs.

He also announced that two new vehicles, which were being built in Turkey and had could carry 10,000 litres of water, 1,500 litres of foam and 250kg of dry power, while having an output of 3, 500 litres of water, were close to completion. The vehicles will also be capable of dealing with industrial fires.

The department and the Civil Protection Union, together with a number of NGOs, have also organised an activity, including shows by the K-9 unit, a simulation of a traffic accident and a demonstration on the use of fire extinguishers, in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.