About us
Find out about Bizkaia’s fire stations, as well as the equipment and resources available to us.
The Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service (FPERS) of the Bizkaia Provincial Council is responsible for attending emergencies throughout the territory of Bizkaia, except in Bilbao, which has its own service.
Our main objective is to protect people, their property and the natural environment against fires, accidents and other emergency situations. To this end, we have eight professional fire stations located across the territory, close to the main urban centres and transport routes.
Furthermore, we work in coordination with other emergency services and have agreements with other FPERS in neighbouring regions to provide a rapid and effective response, wherever you live.
The Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service (FPERS) forms part of the Department of Public Administration and Institutional Relations of the Bizkaia Provincial Council. Its organisational structure is designed to ensure an efficient, swift and coordinated response to any emergency.
It comprises a Directorate-General, a Deputy Directorate and three main areas: technical and administrative matters, operations and fire station management, and prevention, training and civil protection. These areas are staffed by professional teams working on both prevention and planning as well as direct response.
The service is divided into four operational zones, with a total of eight fire stations strategically distributed across the territory. It also has cross-functional units responsible for training, prevention, logistics and maintenance, and the Bizkaia Prest Integrated Emergency Management Centre, from where responses are coordinated and the necessary resources are mobilised in emergency situations, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In the 1960s, the Bizkaia Provincial Council took over the provision of firefighting services in response to the difficulty many local councils faced in meeting this need. This led to the establishment of the current Provincial Firefighters Service, which took its first steps in 1970 with the opening of the stations in Gernika, Durango and Valle de Trápaga/Trapagaran.
In the following decades, resources were expanded with new stations, more staff and a network of volunteers from civil protection associations. During the 1990s, the service adapted to the growth of the region and its infrastructure, strengthening its coverage and modernising its facilities.
Today, the FPERS has eight professional stations spread across all the districts, a core workforce of 438 staff, a fleet of over 100 vehicles, volunteer groups and its own training centre in Ispaster. Since 2019, the Bizkaia Prest centre has coordinated all provincial emergencies 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The service has continued to evolve with the construction of new facilities for the Zalla and Arratzu fire stations, the first multi-purpose firefighting support robot of its kind in Spain, designed to operate in high-risk environments and a helicopter shared with the other two Provincial Councils and the Basque Government, intended to operate in forest fires, as well as in industrial fires under certain conditions.
Fire Stations
Resources
Vehicles
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BUP (Heavy urban pumper)
Number of vehicles: 17
This is the standard vehicle for most operations. It carries between 3,000 and 4,000 litres of water, firefighting equipment, tools and medical supplies to enable it to tackle fires and all types of accidents.
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AEA (Turntable ladder appliance)
Number of vehicles: 11
Enables work at height, with a ladder that extends in sections to reach up to 32 metres. It is equipped with the necessary equipment to carry out firefighting operations, rescues and technical assistance.
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FUV (Multi-purpose van)
Number of vehicles: 10
Used for all types of rescues, such as road traffic accidents, rescues in urban and rural environments, industrial accidents, etc. It is equipped with extrication equipment, high-altitude rescue equipment, medical supplies, lighting equipment and generators, among other items.
Equipment and technology
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Chemical hazard container
Used in operations involving hazardous materials, it contains the necessary equipment for the containment and transfer of chemicals. It includes airtight protective suits and a decontamination shower.
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BREC container
This is the standard equipment for search and rescue operations in collapsed structures. It contains shoring materials, cutting tools, technical search equipment and lighting, among other items.
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Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) container
It contains breathing apparatus and a large number of compressed air cylinders for long-duration operations. Furthermore, its compressor and loading ramp allow for cylinder refilling directly at incident sites.
