Poland sends 105 firefighters to Spain as part of EU wildfire pre-positioning operation

Deployment

On Saturday 1 August, a military CASA aircraft carrying 35 Polish State Fire Service firefighters departed Kraków Balice airport for Spain. The group is the first of three rotations that will see a total of 105 personnel deployed throughout August. The mission forms part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) pre-positioning programme, designed to station firefighting teams in high-risk regions before fires break out.

Where and how they’ll fight

The Polish contingent will operate in Castilla-La Mancha, around 180 km between the regional capital Toledo and the town of Cuenca. Each rotation consists of 35 firefighters split into Alpha and Bravo teams, working alongside Spanish crews. They belong to Ground Forest Fire Fighting (GFFF) modules, specialized in tackling blazes in rough terrain without heavy vehicles, using hand tools and collaborating with water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The first shift runs from 1 August to 11 August, the second from 10 August to 20 August, and the third from 20 August to 31 August.

Spokesman Hubert Ciepły noted the region was under a level-3 fire danger alert with temperatures reaching 40°C. Commander Jakub Siczek, who had already reconnoitered the area, said Spain had exercised with Polish crews the previous month and now “understood they could count on us”. He added that it was very likely the Poles would be given an entire sector to operate independently.

Broader European effort

The 2026 pre-positioning operation is the largest in the programme’s history, according to the Polish State Fire Service. It involves 777 firefighters from 14 European countries, stationed in six member states most vulnerable to wildfires: Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. The Polish contingent is the second-largest after Romania’s. The model aims to cut reaction times sharply; once in-country the teams remain at the disposal of national authorities and can be assigned to firefighting, building firebreaks, mopping up burnt areas and guarding against re-ignition.

What officials said

“In Spain we have several very large fires, many much smaller ones that are arising all the time and rescue operations must be undertaken, so certainly Polish firefighters will have their hands full.”

He spoke during a press conference before departure. Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted on social media that the armed forces provided the transport aircraft, underlining that the military serves not only Poland’s security but that of its allies. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote: “Polish firefighters are already on their way to Spain! When Spain is facing a wave of fires, Polish firefighters from the GFFF module rush to help. In total, in three shifts, 105 firefighters will take part.”

From Poznań to the fire line

The first rotation draws on firefighters from Wrocław, Rzeszów and Poznań, with each shift also including five staff from the national and voivodeship headquarters. Successive shifts will bring personnel from Łódź, Olsztyn, Poznań and later Lublin, Białystok and Poznań. In Poznań on Friday, the departing group was seen off by deputy voivodeship commander Tomasz Wiśniewski.

“The situation is so serious that the whole group, once it lands, will go straight into rescue operations. We have three deployments, three shifts, each group numbers 35 firefighters and has ten days in action.”

He emphasised his crews were experienced, motivated and fully equipped, and noted that other GFFF modules might be called out to France or Greece as conditions worsen, while Poland itself was under drought stress on its eastern forested areas.