Help in the fight against forest fires: Federal police get helicopters for 1.5 billion euros

When fighting forest fires, countries can hope for more support from the air.

Help in the fight against forest fires: Federal police get helicopters for 1.5 billion euros

When fighting forest fires, countries can hope for more support from the air. According to a media report, the Federal Police will receive up to 44 new transport helicopters. They can carry several thousand liters of water.

The Federal Police should get up to 44 new transport helicopters. This is reported by the "Spiegel". Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the magazine that the aircraft are "an important support to the federal states" in fighting forest fires - even if this is not the main task of the helicopters, according to the SPD politician.

"With 1.5 billion euros over the next few years, it is one of the largest investments in the Federal Police ever," said Faeser. The new helicopters could take water from rivers and lakes to extinguish and transport up to 3,000 instead of up to 2,000 liters at once.

According to the report, an award procedure for the contract is currently underway. So it is still unclear which manufacturer it will lead to. According to "Spiegel", the helicopters are to be delivered gradually over several years.

The violent forest fires in parts of Germany recently triggered a debate about the possible purchase of fire-fighting aircraft. Opinions also differ in the federal government. While the FDP is in favor of this, the SPD-led Federal Ministry of the Interior referred to the responsibility of the federal states and local authorities for disaster and fire protection.

The federal government can only provide temporary support with its resources by way of administrative assistance where the forces of the federal states and municipalities are not sufficient - for example with helicopters from the federal police and the armed forces, according to a spokeswoman for the ministry. As the "Spiegel" reports, according to the authorities, the federal police have helped extinguish forest fires in Saxon Switzerland, the Lieberoser Heide in Brandenburg, in Berlin's Grunewald and in the Hessian district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in recent months.