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Lorena Cádiz
Fuengirola
Friday, 15 December 2023, 11:43
On Saturday 16 December the fire station in Fuengirola will mark turning forty this year with a spectacular race event in the Costa del Sol holiday resort. Firefighters from all over Spain will be competing in a vertical race.
Starting at 11am, every minute a firefighter will set off from the Plaza Theresa Zabell, wearing his or her firefighting kit, and running 100 metres to El Puerto hotel. Ascending the 12 floors by 228 steps, the competitors will go round the swimming pool, located on its terrace roof, and then race back down to the finish line with their equipment which can weigh more than 30 kilos.
The head of the Fuengirola fire brigade Julián Bueno said several members of the local team will be competing in the event which highlights the work that firefighters carry out on a daily basis and who embrace the “totally vocational” nature of the job.
Fuengirola's first fire station was inaugurated on 15 March 1983 on the ground floor of the old town hall and its fleet consisted of two fire engines. The town was one of the first on the coast to have its own fire fighting service but had to operate with very basic resources.
Firefighters worked with cotton hoses, their breathing equipment was adapted scuba diving equipment and the masks they used were those of painters. On the same day the fire station opened, they had to spring into action when a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a building in Calle Córdoba.
"Now it is unthinkable for a firefighter to work on a fire without full equipment," Bueno said. "We are now at the forefront in terms of material resources" with four fire engines, three light urban vehicles and one heavy lorry for the countryside. The team also has a ladder truck, two vans, light first intervention vehicles and drones. The current staff numbers 28 firefighters and training has also evolved a lot. "The greatest asset of a fire station is the people, and qualifications are key," Bueno said.
The location of the fire station has also improved. From the ground floor of the town hall they moved to a unit on Camino de las Cañadas and later to the current fire station on Calle Leopoldo Weber, where they have a practice tower and a yard to practise drills.
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