Portugal has, since June 15, two rural firefighting aircraft to respond to requests from the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism.

These medium amphibious aircraft are part of the rescEU European emergency reserve and will be on national territory until October 31. They are ready to be engaged both on national territory and in other European countries, whenever local capacities are insufficient to respond to extreme situations.

The rescEU program, created by the European Union, aims to guarantee a rapid, coordinated and effective response to major disasters, by providing shared resources between member states - such as aircraft, medical units, temporary shelters, transport, generators and NRBQ (nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical) capabilities.

With this initiative, Portugal strengthens its capacity to respond to rural fires and reaffirms its commitment to European solidarity in civil protection.