📋 Tender Overview
After the catastrophic fires in the summer of 2022, the Slovenian government took decisive action and adopted innovative solutions to improve aerial firefighting. Within the framework of the Administration for Protection and Rescue (URSZR), a special unit for aerial firefighting was established, which is the first in the history of Slovenia.
This unit is completely separate from the Slovenian Army and the Police. Its main task is to use special aircraft to effectively extinguish fires from the air. "With already existing aircraft, we are capable of immediate response to fires and carrying out firefighting operations," explained URSZR General Director Leon Behin.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Air Tractor company, we acquired two amphibious aircraft last year, which are already equipped with amphibious floats. The third aircraft will arrive by the end of the week and the fourth is expected by the end of May, bringing the fleet to four aircraft. Firefighting operations will be carried out with the help of Spanish pilots. The units will operate 24 hours a day and will provide continuous support in the field.
As Behin further explained, we fully organized and equipped the unit, including an educational program for firefighters who specialized in aerial firefighting. "Undoubtedly, our pilots were carefully selected and trained to be able to safely carry out operations in a wide variety of conditions." To finance the entire project, we partially used the financial resources of the European cohesion policy, intended exclusively for civilian purposes.
This milestone marks an important step forward in our ability to control fires and protect Slovenian citizens. With the establishment of this unit, we are ready to respond effectively to any future challenges brought by fires.
As Air Tractor company representative Hugo Arceo explained, for more than 20 years they have been trying to help countries and governments expand and create a firefighting fleet. “So in the last year and a half since we started talking, so far I've seen that this is probably the fastest establishment of an aerial forest protection unit in the world. Private companies are very flexible, although they take three or four years to get up and running, and we're suddenly here a year and a half after the talks started with the planes and the pilots and the maintenance needed to operate for the next 20 or 30 years.”
