Bureaucrats hold up Infoca fire plan

RED TAPE is threatening to hold up Andalucia’s firefighting strategy for this summer.
Plan Infoca is due to come into force on June 1 but it looks as though the helicopters that play a vital role in extinguishing forest fires might have to stay on the ground.
The operators involved are having a long wait in obtaining authorisation from the central government, said Maria Jesus Serrano, who heads the Junta’s Environment department.
Madrid has introduced new regulations affecting the use of aircraft in firefighting and search-and-rescue operations. These must be complied with by June 1, explained Serrano, who said she had now asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment to help in expediting authorisation.