Chief fire commander Slavko Tucakovic said the fire spread quickly because of strong wind, but that it was kept from reaching homes, and that air support had been taking part in the firefighting since morning alongside reinforcements sent from the mainland.
What Is the Alpe-Adria Knowledge Transfer Project?
The Slovenian firefighters were not on Brac by chance. Portal 24ur reports that the four from Domzale are there as part of the Alpe-Adria Knowledge Transfer project, whose goal is a steady, two way and systematic exchange of knowledge between Croatian and Slovenian firefighters across all disciplines, according to the Domzale Center for Protection and Rescue.
In practice, that means fixed dates, not improvisation.
“Our cooperation started four years ago and we have been rotating ever since. We go to Brac on June 1 and stay there as seasonal firefighters until October 1. Basically we are like one family.”
Of the four who were on the island, two are professional firefighters, including Slapar, and two are volunteers. Alongside his professional service in Domzale, Slapar is also a volunteer firefighter himself.
Slapar described the locals’ attitude toward the help in very concrete terms.
“They were very happy to see that we Slovenians had come to help too. They brought us food, cold drinks and coffee, so we were well taken care of.”
Supetar’s Mayor Singles Out the Slovenians
Supetar Mayor Ivana Markovic posted a message of support during the morning of August 13 for everyone who had been on the ground, and in it she mentioned the Slovenian colleagues separately, alongside the deployed units and the reinforcements that arrived from the mainland.
“To all our firefighters and firefighting women from Brac, to the deployed units, to our Slovenians and to everyone who came from the mainland this morning, and to those who have been on the ground fighting this major fire since the night, stay safe! I am especially proud of our Supetar firefighters and of everything we have invested over the years in people and equipment so that we could react quickly at moments like this and have everything we need on the ground to stay safe. I know how they work, I know what they have. And I know what kind of commander they have. Reinforcements from the mainland reached us this morning, and 4 Canadairs are taking part in the firefighting. Stay safe.”
The job was not over once the fire was contained. Slapar announced that a fire watch of seventy to eighty people would remain at the site overnight, since a strong bora had been forecast for the area, a wind that easily brings fire back to life in rocky terrain.
The Slovenian rotation in Supetar remains until October 1, in other words through the rest of the fire season on the central Adriatic.