The document, drawn up by a chief fire corporal with 25 years of experience, warns of serious risks to the public and calls for the immediate reopening of the station while a new one is built.
This Friday, the VOX Municipal Group in Manilva presented to the media an independent technical report which, according to its authors, shows that the closure of Manilva’s fire station has no technical or operational justification. The presentation was given by Antonio Marín, VOX spokesperson at Manilva Town Hall, and José Antonio Macías, a professional firefighter with 25 years of experience and chief corporal on duty in Benalmádena.
“A closure that puts lives at risk”
According to Macías, the author of the report, the technical reports on which the Consorcio Provincial de Bomberos (CPB) based its justification for the closure ignore the direct impact on the service provided to the public. “80% of the success of an intervention lies in speed. Increasing response times by up to 30% is unacceptable for an emergency service,” he stressed.
The study reveals that with the transfer of staff to Estepona, response times to areas such as Sabinillas, Casares or El Secadero increase by up to 11 minutes. In emergencies such as fires or road accidents, that difference can mean the difference between life and death.
Worrying figures
The report provides a comparative analysis of the situation before and after the closure:
The coverage area of the Estepona fire station would go from 137 km² to more than 430 km², as it would include the municipalities of Manilva, Casares and Gaucín.
The population served would increase from 78,590 to 106,769 people.
The Estepona station keeps the same minimum number of personnel (7), despite its increased territorial responsibility.
The current facilities in Manilva, although they have shortcomings, are similar to those of other fire stations in operation, such as those in Rincón de la Victoria or Benalmádena.
Shortcomings, yes, but they can be fixed
Both Marín and Macías acknowledge that the current Manilva station needs improvements, but they flatly reject that this justifies closing it. “None of the shortcomings prevents it from operating if minimal reforms are carried out, such as improving ventilation or redistributing internal areas”, the document states.
They also question the fact that the CPB’s technical report includes no assessment either of the service to the public or of the operational consequences, and that it has not been checked against independent health or labour inspection reports.
Specific proposals
The technical report presented proposes an immediate roadmap to reverse the situation:
- Immediate reopening of the station, with gradual improvements
- Urgent construction of a new fire station, on land already offered by the Town Hall.
- Rotation of staff with other fire stations, allowing ongoing training.
- Increase in minimum staffing: from 3 to 5 firefighters in Manilva and from 7 to 9 in Estepona.
Conclusions
“Closing the Manilva station without an immediate alternative is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous”, the report concludes. VOX demands that the CPB’s decision be reconsidered, that a realistic technical solution be adopted, and that the professionals and the affected municipalities be listened to.
“My assessment as a firefighter and technician is that the Manilva fire station should be left open and that the colleagues who are here can move to Estepona to do their practice while they do rotations”, Macías concluded.
