The storm Filomena has been one of the most relevant meteorological episodes in recent decades, sweeping practically all of Spain, dyeing it white even at rare heights.
This has also happened in the province of Castellón, where the snow has made an appearance at the beginning of January in much of the territory, and reaching much lower levels than usual.
The Castellón Province Fire Department has deployed an important device of human and material resources to deal with all incidents derived from the passage of the storm that has been activated for 11 consecutive days, with more than 200 daily troops, 18 snowplough, 8 snowplough with salt spreader, special rescue vehicles such as the snowmobile and the ATV equipped with tracks, the Mountain Rescue Unit and the Heavy Machinery and Logistics Unit.
In addition, the device has been reinforced as the incidents intensified. Thus, the Heavy Machinery and Logistics Unit went from the initial 5 machines to around 25. The tons of salt were also reinforced, going from the initial 250 tons to 450, which supplied both the Consortium’s salt shaker machines and the municipalities of the province that may require it. For the latter, specific items were arranged in manageable formats of 25 kg so that the municipalities could make use of the bags they needed in the 16 points enabled throughout the province.
The Castellón Province Fire Departament has attended a total of 336 services derived from the storm Filomena. 174 road cleaning routes have been carried out, including 80 municipalities and some 40,000 inhabitants. In addition, 118 services have been carried out to open access to farms and farmhouses and other infrastructures requested by the City Councils, and 38 rescue services, especially for drivers trapped by snow or people who required urgent medical help, as well as transfers to receive treatment for dialysis. There have also been 6 removal services for a significant number of fallen trees due to the snowfall that cut roads and forest tracks.
For its part, the Volunteer Civil Protection Unit, integrated into the Consortium’s device, has carried out logistical tasks of transferring PCR tests and vaccines against Covid-19, on routes between outpatient clinics in towns affected by the snowfall and the hospitals. In this way, the group has contributed to ensuring that the fight against the pandemic was not interrupted due to the storm, in days when the meteorology and the pandemic have presented a particularly complicated scenario for the province.
