The Teguise City Council describes as a "historic milestone for the safety and well-being of the residents of La Graciosa" that the General Directorate of Emergencies of the Canary Islands Government has approved a specific protocol to activate the helicopter of the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) on the eighth island. It should be remembered that this helicopter will be based in Fuerteventura, after the Canary Islands Government refused to install it in Lanzarote.
For the government group, this measure "represents a before and after in emergency management" and "is the result of coordinated work between administrations and responds to a repeated demand by Emerlan technicians in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, as well as by the mayor of Teguise herself, Olivia Duque", who assures that "since her arrival in office, she has placed this need as an immediate priority on her political agenda.
“From the first minute of this mandate, I have held meetings with the Emerlan team and today we can say that we have fulfilled one of the most urgent requests of La Graciosa, it was essential to improve the response capacity in situations where every minute counts”, stressed Mayor Olivia Duque.
Duque wanted to publicly express her gratitude to the Minister of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, Manuel Miranda, and to the Deputy Minister of Territorial Cohesion and Emergencies, Marcos Lorenzo Martín, for "listening to the voice of the municipality and responding with concrete facts to a historical demand." “Thanks to the commitment of those who work daily to save lives, such as the professionals of Emerlan, and to the sensitivity of the Government of the Canary Islands, we have managed to take an unprecedented step that will forever change emergency management in La Graciosa”, said the mayor.
During the recent visit of the officials to the Emerlan operating base in La Graciosa, the implementation of the new protocol was formalized, which contemplates that, given the geographical difficulties and the lack of conventional sanitary vehicles, serious accidents on the island will be attended with the support of the GES helicopter, which will allow the urgent transfer of patients to health centers of the Canary Emergency Service (SUC).
“This advance improves the response capacity and reinforces security among the residents of Graciosa and those who visit us. It is a clear example of how joint work between administrations can give real results and transform the reality of a territory with characteristics as unique as La Graciosa”, concluded the mayor.