The Canary Islands Government is working on drafting a decree law for the imminent creation of the Canary Islands Emergency Agency, an organization that will integrate and optimize civil protection resources in the islands, and that could be established before the end of the year.
This was confirmed this Monday morning by the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, during the presentation of the new Emergency Support Unit, an event in which he was accompanied by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, Manuel Miranda, and the General Director of Emergencies, Fernando Figuereo Force.
The creation of the Agency, unanimously endorsed by the Parliament of the Canary Islands, responds to the need to guarantee throughout the territory of the autonomous community the exercise of the powers established in article 149 of the reform of the Statute of Autonomy of 2018, which attributes to the Government of the Canary Islands “the regulation, planning and execution of measures relating to emergencies and civil security, as well as the direction and coordination of civil protection services, which includes fire prevention and extinguishing services.”
While its processing continues and the progressive integration of the different management and operational centers is being studied, this Monday a new Emergency Support Unit has been presented, which was created with the objective of strengthening the capacity for prevention, intervention, deployment and logistical support in situations of risk, natural disasters or events of special complexity, under the command of the General Directorate of Emergencies. This new operation represents a qualitative leap in the structure of the Canary Islands emergency system, by reinforcing it with its own, flexible and permanently available resource, capable of operating immediately and effectively throughout the archipelago.
The new Emergency Support Unit is a service provided by the public company Gesplan, and is part of a strategic project to modernize Canary Islands civil protection, which includes the recent creation of the Risk Analysis and Planning Unit, led by the meteorologist Vicky Palma at CECOES-112.
Both units will be the pillars of a new public management model, which contemplates the upcoming creation of the Canary Islands Emergency Agency and the approval of the first Canary Islands Civil Protection Law, on which the Ministry of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water is currently working, as confirmed by Minister Manuel Miranda.
The new unit presented this morning is initially made up of 35 highly trained professionals, with specific training in logistics, security, emergencies and operations, as explained by the head of the Civil Protection and Emergency Response service, Montse Román.
Its structure includes two technical coordinators, who assume the tasks of general supervision; 25 production support technicians, in charge of operational support and intervention in the territory, including island liaisons in the non-capital islands; and 8 drivers specialized in logistical support, with experience in operational transport and deployments in complex conditions.
In addition, the unit will have a fleet of 11 all-terrain vehicles fully equipped to operate in any type of territory, and equipped with communication systems, first aid equipment, personal safety elements, drones and tools for rapid interventions.
The new unit will develop multiple operational and logistical functions, including:
- Logistical and technical assistance in emergencies, from the installation of Advanced Command Posts to the deployment of communication and signaling equipment.
- Collaboration in simulations and preventive devices, such as large events, episodes of meteorological risk or awareness campaigns.
- Support for the territorial implementation of civil protection plans, guaranteeing their operability and adaptation to the island reality.
- Coordination with island liaisons and the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES), strengthening the operational network on each island.
- Acting as a technical liaison in the field with CECOES-112, improving communication between the coordinating center and the deployed teams.
The unit will be operational 365 days a year, with permanent active guards and overlapping shifts to ensure continuous coverage, especially in alert situations. The main bases will be located in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with 13 personnel on each island, and the capacity for immediate intervention on all non-capital islands through island liaisons.
Since its creation, the members of the unit have started an intensive training plan in technologies applied to emergency management, such as the use of drones, advanced communication systems, long-range radios and self-protection techniques in extreme conditions.
