Three firefighters assigned to the Levante Almeriense Firefighting and Rescue Consortium have been decorated with the Andalucía Local Police Order of Merit in the Cross with Green Emblem category, the only representatives of the Firefighting department in the whole of Andalucía, in a ceremony held on 15th November in the provincial capital.
The three decorated firefighters are: Federico Cerdá López, Javier Jiménez Vicioso and corporal Francisco Rivas, who received the recognition for their work along with other members of the Civil Guard and State Security from throughout Andalucía.
This recognition originates from their action in September 2019, when due to the torrential rains triggered by a “Dana”, (an isolated depression high up in the atmosphere), in the El Saltador area, a car was swept away by the water and a woman was left trapped by the current with serious risk to her life. These three firefighters, in risky manoeuvres, did not stop until she was rescued.
Francisco Torres Ortega, Firefighting Consortium Service Chief, made public a letter in which as well as congratulating the award-winners, he expresses his satisfaction on them being the only ones chosen from this service in the whole of Andalucía and the honour of being in charge of them and all the colleagues who make up the Consortium.
Noteworthy in this open letter is the special mention he makes of all the colleagues for the such important job they do for society: “For me, these three firefighters from the Levante Almeriense, in this act, have represented not only themselves, but in our case, the whole team. But I want to extend to all the firefighters of our province of Almería, of all Andalucía and of the rest of the country that each time we intervene, we put our ourselves at risk, giving the best we can and with the due professionalism, commendable at times of recognitions like these.”
Francisco Torres Ortega also wanted to thank all the people and authorities which have made these recognitions possible.
Thanks to the Almería Provincial Council and the 13 municipalities which make up the Levante Almeriense Region, the Levante Almeriense Firefighting and Rescue Consortium was constituted in April 2007.
From the seven members with which it started out in 2007, today there is a team of 49 firefighters and three fire stations: one in Turre, one in Huércal-Overa and another in Albox.
