site.btaTotal of 2,432 Servicemen Took Part in Firefighting Tasks in 2024

In the past year, 2,432 servicemen from various structures of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence assisted in extinguishing fires, the Ministry of Defence told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Thursday.

1,951 servicemen from the Land Forces, 410 servicemen from the Air Force, 22 servicemen from the Navy, 42 servicemen from the Logistic Support Command and seven servicemen from the Vasil Levski National Military University - Veliko Tarnovo took part in such activities.

The BTA requested information under the Access to Public Information Act on the troops involved in firefighting in 2024 and the equipment used.

Cougar and Mi-17 helicopters, equipped with technical means for firefighting, took part in the performance of reconnaissance and firefighting tasks. They carried out 2,037 water throws with a total volume of 3,607 cubic meters of water.

During the execution of the tasks, the helicopter crews carried out an average of 10 hours per day, and the personnel involved in the field extinguished forest and field fires between 12 and 14 hours per day.