The regional brigade, recently returned from the Peñas de Riglos fire and called back to the area, has used the meetings to explain to public representatives the shortcomings that, according to the group, exist in the sizing of the firefighting operation in Aragon.
Forest firefighters stationed in the Bajo/Baix Cinca region met with key local institutions on Tuesday to explain the reasons for their indefinite strike . The meetings took place after their return from the Las Peñas de Riglos forest fire and before they were required to return immediately to the area, following a new request to rejoin the firefighting effort.
Representatives of the brigade have met with the president of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region, Mercedes Reyes ; with officials from the Aragonese Government's local office; and with the mayor of Fraga, José Ignacio Gramún . In statements to this publication, José Pablo Fernández , head of the forest fire brigade stationed in the region, explained that the objective of these meetings was to explain firsthand the reasons for the mobilization and the demands they have with SARGA (the Aragonese Forestry and Wildlife Service) and the Aragonese Government.
During these meetings, the professionals also shared their assessment of the regional fire prevention and suppression system. The forest firefighters believe the regional operation is under-equipped and, in its current configuration, lacks sufficient resources to respond to the large-scale, new generation of wildfires.
A strike with 100% minimum services
The SARGA forest firefighters' strike began this Tuesday, August 18th, and is ongoing indefinitely . Minimum services are being maintained at 100%, so fire and emergency response will continue as normal, as the protests will take place on the workers' days off.
The unions CGT, OSTA, UGT, and CCOO , the majority members of SARGA's Inter-Center Committee and the Strike Committee, maintain in a series of statements that the INFOAR operation is "structurally understaffed ." Among the arguments they present are long working hours, incomplete crews, and difficulties in guaranteeing sufficient rest and shift changes during major fires.
As expected, the Peñas de Riglos fire is a central issue in their demands. Union representatives believe that the scale of the operation required to tackle this blaze highlights, in their view, the limitations of regional resources when dealing with a large-scale forest fire emergency . In their statements, they also point to the heavy reliance on reinforcements from other autonomous communities and from national resources.
Their demands include increasing staffing by 150 to 200 personnel , both in ground and helicopter-borne brigades, as well as improvements in rest periods, equipment, supplies, and salary conditions commensurate with the hazardous and arduous nature of their work. They are also demanding progress in the implementation of Law 5/2024 on Forest Firefighters.
From Riglos to Fraga and back to the fire
Tuesday's events particularly reflect the situation facing the Bajo/Baix Cinca brigade. Its members have returned from the Peñas de Riglos fire, held their scheduled meetings with institutional representatives in Fraga, and upon their return, received a request to immediately return to the fire zone to rejoin the operation.
This context has also shaped the message conveyed to the institutions. According to Fernández himself, the forest firefighters wanted the region's public representatives to hear firsthand both the reasons for the strike and their assessment of the current needs of the regional fire service.
The conflict will continue, in any case, while still attending to emergencies. The strike committee is maintaining 100% minimum services and has also called a rally for this Thursday, August 20, at 11:00 a.m., in front of the Pignatelli Building in Zaragoza.
