Montgó Morning: Police Update & Fire Prevention Talk
Montgó Morning on Wednesday 3 June at DAR.
Preventing burglaries and fires is obviously close to everyone’s heart as about 75 people attended the Montgó Morning which was held in the large room at DAR.
Chief of Police, José Antonio [+ Fernando who translated] explained that statistics are difficult to quantify. However, compared with 2025, robberies are down 13% and vehicle thefts by 7%, which is good news. The Montgó is difficult to patrol so any suspicious activity should be communicated to the Policia as soon as possible: ring 112. Response times vary but the Guardia and/or Policia local try to attend within 15 minutes. A member commented that some robbers have signal jammers, making it impossible to ring the emergency number.
A lot of the robbers come from other areas: be aware of a car/occupants acting suspiciously as you near your house. Strictly speaking you’re not allowed to have cameras which cover the road, but should yours capture the number plate of a vehicle after an incident, the Policia would be very happy to have the details, with no fear of retribution. 😊
As of 2nd June, the Policia will be regularly advising the fire risk levels, which range from 1 to 3. One person commented she wanted to raise the low wall round her garden, but it’s not allowed by the Ayuntamiento. It was recommended she plant trees, or cacti[!] to deter intruders, but that’s not an instant, overnight solution: someone in the Ayuntamiento could offer advice re what to do.
Gerrie thanked the Policia for their attendance and input.
Ferran Dalmau gave a comprehensive insight into forest fires and how to prevent them, accompanied by slides and several video clips, illustrating how a seemingly small fire can quickly escalate. “Without data you are another person with an opinion.” It’s always good to have a plan.
One of his main messages was “do not video the action – get yourselves to safety!” If trapped on a beach one of the best things to do is dig a hole in the sand in which to hide and put a wet towel over yourself. Smoke is potentially more dangerous than flames and a strong wind is another potential hazard. It’s important to have a plan. Seven people died on that beach [in Italy] due to no-one knowing what to do.
Flying embers can cause secondary fires, which can easily happen on the Montgó: firefighters have to be careful not to find themselves trapped. The scoop planes are incredibly skilful, but should one make a mistake, that could be catastrophic. Be VERY careful with BBQs, don’t have one near pine trees, have a water hose readily to hand and ensure cigarette butts are properly extinguished. When firefighters have to deal with more than one fire, the situation can become dire; violent storms can re-ignite fires.
Look at your gardens. Cypress trees are particularly inflammable, worse than pines. The dead/grey pines are a big fire risk. Pools are obviously a good source of water [c. 60,000 litres], but he recommended buying a pump [details will be forwarded later re which ones he recommends], bearing in mind that an electrical one may fail if the fire reaches the wires!
The owner of a property is the person responsible for his house/garden. Take sensible precautions – remove or trim conifer hedges, ensure there are no dead leaves on the roof. Cane fencing is inflammable, likewise some pergola/car port coverings. Don’t have any conifers surrounding the gas tank, try to plant fire resistant trees/bushes. Soak the garden rather than the house. It’s often safer to remain in your house than to try to flee in your car. Go to a room furthest from the approaching fire, close all windows and lower aluminium blinds.
Ideally all towns should have powerful sprinklers, as in Valencia, to dampen all the greenery along an evacuation route. Jávea has 12 portable ones.
Have an Emergency Kit ready to grab if the Policia tell you to evacuate. Lock up the house, but leave the garden gates open so that the bomberos have access, if necessary, to the pool water.
Gerrie thanked Ferran for his in-depth presentation who will send us a copy of his presentation.
Terry of the Volunteer Bomberors will organise a drill session – to be advised. He said that they will have a fire vehicle permanently on the Montgó during July/August [not yet sure where], with Ian and Nick Fawle in charge of it, which will shorten response times [previously Ian had to drive to Balcon al Mar to fetch the vehicle back here!]. The Ayuntamiento always claims ‘limited resources’ [although someone indicated to the Secretary that they have €60 million in the bank, which can’t all be for fiestas!]. Volunteer bomberos Adam and Ian will give a talk – date to be announced.
Someone complained about overgrown Zonas Verdes – the Ayuntamiento should clear them more regularly, but have limited manpower. Ferran commented that they plan to do ‘prescribed burnings’ in winter, to help to reduce risks. JuanJo is in charge of Urban Services.
Another member complained that the roads are never swept. [Don’t know where he lives, ours is done quite regularly, and it’s a narrow cul-de-sac].
The Committee is planning another meeting with the Ayuntamiento regarding overgrown plots of land which Tim and Kees have been listing – some are owned by the Ayuntamiento! – trying to put pressure on them: “buenas palabras” aren’t enough!
President Tim Fawle, said it was a pity that Raquel who was the representative for Foreigners, has resigned due to ill health, with no replacement in sight at the moment. He stressed we need a louder voice for dealing with the Ayuntamiento, hence pushing for more members.
El Niño is 85% likely to be more severe this year: drought and dead trees will continue to be serious issues. September is historically the month for bad fires, so precautions need to be taken now.
As we were already half an hour beyond the allotted time, Gerrie gave a very brief overview of the Neighbourhood Watch groups on the Montgó – not all areas have one, so please contact her if you wish to be involved. She then introduced Tony Cabban who founded the Jávea NHW group 30 years ago to co-ordinate with the Ayuntamiento and most of the urbanisations, of which there are now 13. Not sure whether Balcon al Mar or the Montgó is the largest?! He commented that a lot more areas joined after someone was killed by a thief wielding a Japanese samurai sword! Tony is now stepping down, with Gerrie taking over his role of overall co-ordinator. She presented him with a couple of edible gifts from her garden.
To round odd proceedings and particularly for the benefit of new members, Gerry listed the forthcoming events and thanked everyone for attending.
