The Levante Almeriense Firefighters Consortium has seen its workforce reinforced with 22 new members. The municipality of Mojácar hosted the swearing in of the firefighters who join the provision of this service in the Levante Almeriense, Almanzora, Los Vélez and the largest municipality in the province: Níjar.
Taking part in the event were the president of the Provincial Council, Javier A. García, as well as the host mayor, Francisco García; the Consortium president, Rosa María Cano, and the head of the Fire Station, Francisco Flores. In addition, the new members’ relatives, their Consortium colleagues, mayors and councillors of the region, as well as the provincial deputies Antonio J. Rodríguez and Ana Lourdes Ramírez attended this emotional event, as did the Health delegate, Juan de la Cruz Belmonte.
The Provincial Council president showed he was moved to be taking part in the swearing in: “This act fills me with pride because I am touched by seeing 22 fighters fulfill their dreams and to be able to share this here today with your families…. But today is above all an important day for the province and the Levante, Almanzora and Los Vélez regions where you will carry out your work because they are going to see reinforced a service that is as basic as it is important for the safety and well-being of the people of Almeria.”
Furthermore, Javier A. García recalled that “The three regions in which you are going to work have gone from having a team of 17 firefighters in 2017 to having 68 professionals who, from today, will ensure the safety of our residents. I am sure that you the 68 firefighters of the Levante Consortium will work together as a family and will continue to make this consortium a benchmark for Almería province. For the Provincial Council, our involvement with the Fire Fighting Service in the 103 municipalities is a priority.”
He also guaranteed that “you are going to begin a new stage with a great project ahead, the opening of a station in Níjar with which the Provincial Council will bring this service even closer to the largest municipality in the province.” Moreover, he concluded by guaranteeing that “the Almería Provincial Council is the only one in the whole of Andalucía that does not charge local authorities with less than 20,000 inhabitants for providing this service and that, in addition, guarantees the provision of this service in the 103 municipalities of Almeria province.
The Mojácar Mayor, Francisco García Cerdá, expressed his pride in Mojácar for being the host municipality of such an important event for the province and welcomed authorities, firefighters and family members.
After swearing in the 22 members to their new posts, the Consortium president highlighted the great work they do in responding to 180,000 inhabitants and in the summer more than 350,000. Rosa María Cano addressed these new members of the great family of the Levante Firefighters: “The effort has been worth it. After three months you have acquired the experience and knowledge to face difficult situations. I have to ask you not to be good firefighters, but the best. For this, it is essential that you train yourself continuously throughout your new career.”
Likewise, the Station Head, Francisco Flores, highlighted the importance of the work carried out every day by a Consortium that with this incorporation now has 68 members. “Over the past three months, these new firefighters have completed rigorous on-the-job training. They have shown dedication, bravery and commitment to their duty. Today, finally, the day has come for which they have been waiting for so long: the day on which they officially take on their responsibilities as part of our family. I want to highlight the financial effort that our Consortium has made to provide them with this training. Not only have we invested in their training, but we have also backed their continued success.”
Furthermore, he guaranteed that “being a firefighter is not just a job, it is carrying out selfless social work, full of the greatest drive, with the best that a human being has to do things and besides with professionalism. I repeat, a firefighter is not a job, it is a vocation. You cannot do work like ours if you do not have the courage and conviction to always try to guarantee the collective well-being of our citizens, although many times we have to risk our lives to do so.”
