Romanian Firefighters on International Missions
The Romanian firefighters who served in Serbia have returned home after two weeks of battling the flames alongside their colleagues from the neighboring country.
Sorin Iordan, 07.09.2026, 13:50
The Romanian firefighters who served for two weeks in Serbia returned home on Saturday after working alongside their colleagues from the neighboring country to battle wildfires that affected vast areas and entire communities. As part of this mission, Bucharest mobilized both a ground unit consisting of 69 firefighters and 15 pieces of equipment, as well as an S-70M Black Hawk helicopter, which is part of the European rescEU reserve, a capability hosted and operated by Romania through the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The aircraft participated in aerial firefighting operations, supporting ground crews and helping to limit the spread of the fires in the affected areas. “It was an intense two weeks, with complex operations, long hours of work, and difficult field conditions, but also with new experiences,” reported the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. During the operations, Romanian firefighters formed two-person teams with firefighters from Serbia and Germany.
The Romanian rescue team’s mission in Serbia took place through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, following a request for international assistance from the authorities in Belgrade. The extreme drought that has ravaged European countries has caused severe wildfires in Greece again this year. A new contingent of 40 Romanian firefighters arrived in Greece last week. They replaced their colleagues who had been responding to and monitoring high-risk areas during the last two weeks of August. During this period, the Romanian firefighters participated in specific missions coordinated by Greek authorities, as well as in training sessions and joint exercises alongside Greek firefighters and French partners.
At the same time, they conducted field reconnaissance to familiarize themselves with the area’s characteristics and specific risks, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. The new contingent is continuing the mission with the support of two specialized vehicles for fighting forest fires, with capacities of 3,000 and 5,000 liters, one high-capacity vehicle with a 10,000-liter capacity, a 30,000-liter water tanker, a first-response and command vehicle equipped with a drone system, a shortwave radio communications vehicle, a minibus, a container truck, and an off-road utility vehicle equipped with firefighting equipment. This is the third contingent of Romanian firefighters deployed in Greece this summer and the sixth consecutive year that Romania has responded positively to Athens’ request for assistance. This year, Romanian rescue teams also participated in an international mission in southern France to support local authorities in fighting wildfires. They were praised both at the European level and by the French for the professionalism they demonstrated under extreme conditions. (LS)
