Deputy Minister of the Nation’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Sergio Federovisky, signed a letter of intent with representatives of the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) in Ottawa, Canada, to acquire three air assets fighting forest fires in Argentina. The intention of the Argentine Environmental Portfolio is to advance the process of purchasing and paying the advance – before the end of the year – to acquire the helicopters that will be delivered from July 2024.

Federovisky, who leads the trade mission, said the signing of the agreement and letter of intent with Canada’s CCC “implies a historic event” for the National Fire Management Service, and in this sense explained that “thanks to the independent financing of the organization, after the contribution made by the National Congress through the rate of insurance policies, a series of investments like this can be programmed, which consists of the purchase of three latest generation Bell helicopters, with belly tanks to fight fires in Argentina, this demonstrates the success of the cooperation between Argentina and Canada”.

“We will guarantee the presence of the Chinook helicopter the next Argentine summer, regardless of the end of the administration on December 10,” Federovisky ratified, and underlined the “public policy” carried out by the administration of the national government. and Ministry of the Environment, which – he said – “lays the foundations for continuity in the fight against fires in the summer of 2023-2024”. Recall that cooperation with Canada began at the end of 2022, with the rental of the Chinook, supplied by the first Canadian air combat company by Coulson Aviation, which worked in Patagonia and in the Delta between January and April of this year with success. resounding, which made it possible to avoid catastrophic fires in the two zones.

The secretary also clarified that this new agreement will allow the purchase of clothing, water backpacks and other types of resources that will strengthen the SNMF.

The parties entered into a memorandum of understanding in 2022, relating to the purchase of aerial and ground firefighting assets, equipment and services from Canada on the basis of government-to-government agreements at l support for urgent projects under the National Fire Management Fund programme.

For his part, the Canadian Ambassador to Argentina, Reid Sirrs, indicated that the letter of intent “is particularly relevant and timely given the impact of climate change around the world” and stressed that “Canada and Argentina have not remained indifferent to the scourge of forest fires. In this context, collaboration between our countries becomes even more important.”

Along the same lines, CCC’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Kim Douglas, said, “Canada has developed firefighting expertise and technology for difficult terrain. CCC is proud to help the Argentine government protect its people and communities with proven Canadian solutions.