Bernese firefighters train for unprecedented forest fires in Upper Valais

Bernese firefighters honed their skills in a rigorous two-day forest fire training exercise in Eyholz, Upper Valais. The drill, which concluded Friday, involved 32 firefighters and simulated intense firefighting scenarios, including helicopter water drops and ground operations on steep, rocky terrain.

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Cooperation works well and we are ready for real engagements.

Valaisan instructors provided expertise and equipment, emphasizing the close cooperation between the two regions. "Cooperation works well and we are ready for real engagements," stated Bernese commander Christian Bieri. Peter Frick, an inspector for the Bernese firefighters, highlighted the similarities in topography between Upper Valais and the Bernese Oberland, explaining the long-standing collaboration based on shared intervention techniques.

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We work regularly and for a long time with the Valaisan firefighters, because we use the same intervention techniques and because the topography of the Upper Valais resembles that of the Oberland.

Some participants had previously battled a major fire in Bitsch in July 2023, which raged for 19 days and consumed 310 hectares. This year's exercise, held for the third time, took place near the site of a 2011 fire that destroyed 110 hectares. Marie Claude Noth-Ecoeur, head of the Valaisan Civil and Military Security Service, noted that Valais and Ticino are among the Swiss cantons most affected by forest fires in recent decades, underscoring the importance of such preparedness.

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Valais and Ticino are among the cantons that have suffered the most from forest fires in recent decades.