Italian firefighters and volunteers from the forest firefighting corps of the Piedmont Region have been deployed to southern France to assist French civil protection in combating forest fires during the peak risk period. This collaborative deployment, first tested last summer, is part of a pre-positioning project designed for forest firefighting forces promoted by the UCPM (Union Civil Protection Mechanism). It serves as a concrete example of European solidarity in action within the field of civil protection.

A team of 25 operators, accompanied by an official from the Italian Civil Protection Department and 11 vehicles, reached their destination on July 1. They are now fully operational and ready to collaborate with their French counterparts in Provence and the Côte d'Azur. As part of the exchange, a team of French firefighters will travel to Sardinia in August to assist with forest fire operations.

Overall, during the summer season, the UCPM forest fire pre-positioning project will involve the deployment of approximately 300 firefighters and specialised volunteers from eight European countries.