A total of 267 candidates for the Fire Department of the Community of Madrid have seen their incorporation paralyzed after the public contract to carry out the mandatory medical examinations was declared void. The regional Executive, chaired by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, had put the service out to tender last March 20, but no company submitted a bid for the tender.
From the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Interior, led by Carlos Novillo, they assure that they are already working on solutions to unblock the situation “in the shortest possible time”. However, the delay directly affects the planned schedule, which contemplated completing medical tests in summer and starting training in September.
The impact goes beyond the opponents. According to the CSIT Professional Union, the lack of new personnel will prevent the opening of the fire stations planned in Villanueva de la Cañada and Villarejo de Salvanés. “The staff cannot take on more overtime,” they warn, pointing out that currently about 25 million euros are allocated annually to pay for overtime.
The problem is aggravated by the structural lack of personnel in the force, which has 1,648 personnel. The incorporation of the 267 new firefighters would mean an increase of 16% of the staff and would alleviate the operational burden, especially in view of projects such as the creation of the Special Group for Forest Fire Response (GERIF).
The contract, valued at 116,935 euros, about 438 euros per applicant, was processed urgently, but the union considers that the price was insufficient, which would have deterred potential companies. “We had already warned that these conditions were not attractive,” the union points out.
The candidates, who started the selective process in 2024, now see how their incorporation remains in suspense without a clear date. Meanwhile, CSIT has called a demonstration on April 15 in Puerta del Sol to denounce the situation, which, they warn, not only harms the applicants, but also the service that the citizenry receives.
