Port accessThe Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Port Authority of Bilbao have just renewed their collaboration agreement. Through this, the Provincial Fire Service, as an intervention group in the port, will continue to prevent and respond to emergency situations that may arise in the port facilities.
This agreement puts the port of Bilbao at the forefront of the Spanish port system in terms of its capacity to respond to possible accidents involving hazardous goods.
The Port Authority of Bilbao and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia have renewed their collaboration agreement for a further four years, by virtue of which the Fire-Fighting, Prevention and Rescue Service of the Provincial Council will continue to prevent and respond to emergencies in the port facilities, including on ships. The collaboration agreement, with a budget of EUR 1,260,000, was signed by the Head of the Provincial Council Area for Public Administration and Institutional Relations, Elixabete Etxanobe, and the President of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ricardo Barkala. The funds will be transferred to the Provincial Council in four annual instalments, increasing from EUR 300,000 to 315,000 per instalment with respect to the previous agreement.
The firemen and women of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia thus become an intervention group of the port of Bilbao. The responsibilities covered under the agreement include responding to fires and accidents in the port area, self-protection for risk prevention, alarm, evacuation and rescue actions, as well as fire fighting, rescue, salvage and rehabilitation of essential services.
The Fire-Fighting, Prevention and Rescue Service will also collaborate with the Port Authority of Bilbao in the investigation and analysis of accidents, in carrying out prevention and training courses, as well as in the preparation of projects and reports on new works and/or refurbishment of fire-fighting installations, and will carry out joint training manoeuvres and drills. Likewise, as a risk prevention and minimisation measure, teams of fire prevention technicians, equipped with the necessary technical means, will be on hand for the unloading and loading of goods classified as being particularly hazardous.
For its part, the Port Authority of Bilbao has undertaken to provide the firemen and women of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia with technical equipment and specific training for intervention in accidents which may occur in the port, in view of its particular characteristics.
The Fire-Fighting, Prevention and Rescue Service of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia has a number of fire stations in the vicinity of the service area of the port of Bilbao. This, together with fast and multiple access possibilities, especially
from the Urioste Fire Station, makes it possible to respond efficiently and effectively to emergencies occurring in the port facilities.
Thanks to this collaboration agreement, the port of Bilbao is at the forefront of the Spanish port system in terms of its capacity to respond to possible accidents involving hazardous goods.
25 years working together
The Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Port Authority of Bilbao have been working together in this area since 1996, through various collaboration agreements that have reinforced safety issues within the remit of the Port Authority of Bilbao. In view of the excellent results of this partnership, both organisations have signed this new agreement, which will remain in force for four years.
Under the last collaboration agreement 2017-21, the Fire-Fighting, Prevention and Rescue Service of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia was provided with breathing apparatus equipped with a compressed air cylinder and a loading ramp for cylinders; self-contained breathing apparatus: 120 back plates, 45 bottles, 180 regulators and 600 respiratory masks; communications equipment integrated into the respiratory masks; a decontamination cabin for both personal protective equipment and other equipment; materials and equipment for chemical risk: a decontamination shower, equipment for fuel leaks and NRBC suits, amongst other things.
