– In six weeks, we have flown more than we have done in the whole of last year, says Per-Åke Persson, who is the fire flight director in Kronoberg County.
Air traffic control already started on May 8 and so far 109 flights have been made, which corresponds to an increase of 30 percent compared to the year before. Per-Åke Persson believes that they will fly even more.
– I think we will beat 2018’s record this year, he says.
Volunteer forces
The work is a collaboration between Växjö flying club, Blekinge flying club and Kristianstad flying club. There is a pilot and a scout on board and it is done by volunteers.
– It has been a challenging period, everyone who flies has a civilian job, then we have a bunch of pensioners who save us when the others can’t, it’s a pretty stressful situation, says Per-Åke Persson.
It is MSB (the Swedish Agency for Community Safety and Preparedness) that decides how many flights and when they will then fly. The County Administrative Board in Kronoberg ensures that the work is carried out.