Finnish firefighters to assist with wildfires in Portugal during August
A group of Finnish firefighters is set to assist in combating wildfires in Portugal during August. In total, 48 personnel from Finland will be deployed, according to Juhani Carlson, the chief of rescue services in Kymenlaakso. The firefighters are coming from various regions, including Kymenlaakso and South Karelia, with approximately ten members traveling from Kymenlaakso. South Karelia will send a total of nine firefighters, as confirmed by Juuso Punnonen, the director of rescue operations in the region.
The teams will depart in two groups, each staying in Portugal for two weeks. The first group is scheduled to leave on August 1, while the second will depart on August 16.
The firefighting operations will be coordinated at the European Union level. Both the Kymenlaakso and South Karelia rescue services are part of the Eastern Finland wildfire response unit, which assists in emergency missions across EU countries. In Portugal, the firefighting efforts will be managed by the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
This is not the first time Finnish firefighters have offered their assistance in dealing with wildfires; they were previously involved in firefighting efforts in Greece in 2022 and again in Portugal in 2023. Wildfires are a common occurrence in Portugal during the hottest and driest months of summer, specifically in July and August, as noted by the Foreign Ministry’s travel advisory.