The Security and Emergencies Councilor of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ramón Bermúdez, acknowledges that the firefighters' underwater equipment was not where it should have been on the night of October 31, when the tragic accident occurred in Puerto Naos in which a 5-year-old boy lost his life after the car he was traveling in fell into the water, driven by his mother, who is charged with reckless homicide. "At the time, that equipment was purchased, but it was not there when it was needed," he says.
Bermúdez echoed the impotence conveyed to him by one of the firefighters who was in the port area that night, for not being able to act at the time of the accident due to the lack of necessary material.
The councilor assures that the new underwater equipment acquired to equip the fire trucks is now operational, but he does not hesitate to acknowledge that at that time, "it was not where it should have been." However, and although he has had the conclusions of the informative proceedings that he ordered to open at the time to clarify the possible failures in the performance of the emergency services for weeks, he does not want to give more details for now. "In due course, it will be revealed who had it, where it was, and where it should be replaced."
But for now, he assures that they will wait for the open judicial investigation to conclude, in which the mother of the deceased minor is charged. And it is that although they have not been summoned so far, Bermúdez believes that both he and the security and emergency managers will be called to testify, and "we will be there with the appropriate information."
Asked about the possibility that this equipment ended up in the hands of Emerlan, as some sources denounced in the days after the tragic accident, Bermúdez does not clarify in whose hands the equipment was. "I cannot name anyone in particular," says the councilor, although he does not deny the possibility that is raised. "That material was not where it should have been, everything will be clarified in due course," concludes Bermúdez.
Regarding the material endowment of the fire department, he affirms that "the serious deficiencies that the firefighters and rescue teams had in terms of security have been largely resolved, more resources have been put in place, and a new fire truck will be presented shortly." In addition, the Consortium has enabled a direct telephone line to the firefighters, apart from the usual emergency numbers, through the numbers 928 81 63 08 and 080, "which can give greater agility to emergency actions given the more direct knowledge of the island that this island body has."
On the other hand, Bermúdez maintains that once the new firefighters are incorporated, after passing the tests that are being carried out, the personnel will be redistributed to operate throughout the island and not be centralized in Arrecife.
