Members of Civil Protection Malta’s second contingent deployed to Portugal have returned home after completing their mission supporting wildfire operations.
The Maltese firefighters were welcomed by their families and loved ones at Malta International Airport following their deployment alongside Portuguese emergency services.
Supporting Portugal during wildfire season
The team was deployed as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism’s wildfire pre-positioning programme, which places firefighting teams in areas facing a heightened wildfire risk.
The initiative allows additional crews and resources to be positioned in advance, helping local services respond quickly when they are needed.
Malta is one of 11 countries providing firefighters to the programme during the 2026 season, with Portugal among six countries hosting pre-positioned teams.
Europe’s largest pre-positioning operation yet
The 2026 programme is the largest since the initiative began in 2022. A total of 777 firefighters from 14 European countries are being strategically pre-positioned across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
The operation is supported and coordinated by the European Commission through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
For the returning Maltese firefighters, the homecoming marks the end of another overseas deployment contributing to Portugal’s wildfire preparedness and wider cooperation between European civil protection services.
