The volunteers of the Civil Protection Group of Yaiza are upset with the treatment they receive from their City Council. This is stated in a letter of complaint that they sent to the mayor of the municipality, Gladys Acuña, and that they registered in the City Council on the 16th. In it, they accuse her of "disregarding their work", they state that the City Council has not responded to several letters that they have submitted and request the municipal councilor to meet with them. The members of Civil Protection denounce that they have not been entrusted with any service for months and want the mayor to "explain" the "why", warning with leaving "definitively" if "our services are not needed".
The members of this group point out that since January 27, "coinciding with the decree appointing new members of the Group", they have been "suffering a series of incidents that we want to clarify with the person responsible for the Group". "Given that the delegated councilor, Javier Camacho López, does not deign to answer us and not even meet with us, we want and request a meeting with the mayoress president," they demand.
"We want you to explain to the volunteers why since that date the members of the Group have not been called for any service. Before this, we attended all services and events, without any explanation being given to us so far. This Group was considered one of the best and most complete at the island level, functioning perfectly, and having great consideration from the citizens and other services of this City Council. Without prior notice, we have stopped being notified or summoned for services, without any justification or explanation. This has created great uncertainty among the volunteers and great astonishment," they lament.
"They have not deigned to answer us"
The volunteers point out that they have also "requested in writing a clarification of this situation", in a letter registered on February 23, "without them deigning to answer us so far". The members of Civil Protection consider it "a clear and manifest disregard for the volunteers, who have so dignifiedly carried out their work for years, without asking for anything in return".
"Likewise, the fire unit of the Group has tried to provide services in alerts and pre-alerts, with the consequence of intervening in police proceedings number 2016/071. This was duly informed, with a letter dated 01/18/2016, with registration 4,353, without us having knowledge of any response so far," they add.
In addition, they state that they have learned that several services have been covered by volunteers from other Civil Protection Groups on the island, "disregarding the members of this Group". "Having our own group, how are the members of other groups activated?", they ask.
They also denounce that vehicle loans have been made to other groups, "without there being a delivery and receipt report from the City Council", while pointing out that these vehicles "have their own material, which this group has hardly obtained over the years, many of them through donations and/or obtained with great effort".
"Disregard for an altruistic effort"
"Given the disregard you have shown for our work, our dedication and effort, carried out altruistically, selflessly, in free hours and leaving our own family to work for the benefit of our fellow citizens, we continue to maintain the hope that you will attend to us and explain this situation," the volunteers maintain.
The volunteers also threaten to leave the group. "In any case, we have no other option than to inform you first, but the citizens later, of this unfair treatment. We ask you again for explanations, if you really do not answer us and you do not need our service, reminding you that the volunteers will unsubscribe definitively so as not to get more involved in this group, understanding that you do not need our services," they warn.
The members of Civil Protection conclude by "joining" the City Council's "congratulations" to the "firefighter colleagues of the Lanzarote Emergency Consortium for their great work", but at the same time they did not want to "miss the opportunity" to express their "most sincere rejection" of the City Council. "During the last 20 years of selfless, altruistic and non-profit service, we have never received your gratitude towards the volunteers of this Group, it seems, as always, that what is outside is better (without offending the firefighters of the Consortium), than our own; twenty years of effort towards the people deserve respect," they reproach the mayoress.
