AF BiH Made a Huge Contribution to Firefighting

The Armed Forces of BiH were continuously engaged in providing assistance to civil authorities and the population in crisis and emergency situations during 2017, especially in the area of firefighting, where they made their full contribution to carrying out these tasks.

In the period from March to the beginning of September, and particularly during the summer months of 2017, the Armed Forces of BiH were repeatedly engaged in aerial and ground firefighting operations in the municipalities of: Konjic, Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Bileća, Trebinje, Međugorje, Berkovići, Livno, Gacko, B. Grahovo, Drvar, Kupres, Ravno, Jablanica, and Ljubinje.

Given that the fire sites were remote and inaccessible for the actions of civil authorities, helicopter units of the AF BiH with Mi-8T and Mi-8MTV helicopters were used for firefighting. The AF BiH helicopters were used for reconnaissance of fire sites and for aerial firefighting using a fire-fighting bucket.

During these activities, over 250 members of the AF BiH were engaged, with the helicopter units of the AF BiH achieving a total of 226.3 flight hours, during which approximately 1850 tons of water were dropped, 212 people were transported, and 18 tons of various cargo and equipment (firefighting equipment, water barrels, backpacks...) intended for firefighting activities were transported by air. For the needs of these activities, the AF BiH consumed 155,890 liters of GM1.

The achieved results show that the AF BiH, through their actions, significantly assisted local communities and contributed to the overall stabilization of the situation in firefighting in crisis areas.

Through this engagement, the AF BiH have once again firmly confirmed their constant and long-term commitment to diligently carry out this legally defined task in the future, within the scope of available operational capacities and possibilities, in order to improve the general living conditions of local communities and all citizens in BiH.