are present throughout the national
territory and we are capable of and used
to dealing with civilian authorities. It has
been very easy to place ourselves at
their disposal”.
“But we also have our own missions:
emergencies”, added Lieutenant General
Martínez Meijide in reference to the unit’s
participation in the campaign against
forest fires, in floods or heavy snowfalls.
In fact, while trackers were being trained,
they were involved in fighting four
simultaneous fires. “The UME has made
the initial effort and we are paving the way
for those who come next with their khaki
or blue uniforms. Then we will humbly
step aside for them to take over. It will be
done progressively”, he pointed out.
A few days later, the coordinating
>CORPORAL FUENSANTA LÓPEZ BELMONTE / AIR FORCE
“We have to be aware of what
is happening”
Air Force
role of Mission Baluarte was transferred.
There are Army, Air Force and Navy
personnel participating in almost all the
regions under the advice of the Military
Medical Corps. To do this, in each AT Alcantarilla air base in Murcia, Corporal Fuensanta López Bel-monte
has put her job in the communications office to one side to
become a tracker. On her first day, she focused on closing some
files that had remained open, “people who had tested positive and hadn’t
picked up the phone for some time, but who had already completed the
quarantine period”. In almost all her calls, she has been fortunate enough
to find very cooperative people who had tested positive. “They even pho-ned
us later on because they remembered some contact persons they
hadn’t told us about”. This is the specific case of a 52-year-old woman
who had to be informed that she had tested positive. “She was waiting for
the phone call from her health centre, but when we told her that we were
trackers, she imagined the result. She was very upset at first, but she was
determined to give us all the information we asked for”.
Corporal López Belmonte is grateful for the training she has received,
first online and then from the Region of Murcia. “I have really enjoyed it and
it has taught me, among other things, that when I call individuals testing
positive I have to deal with them step by step. I can’t just start all of a sudden
and say: hello, good morning, you have tested positive for COVID-19”. She
knows that her job as a tracker changes day by day, call by call. “So far
everything has gone well, the people I phone are responsible and they
self-quarantine. We all need to be aware of what is happening to stop this.
Otherwise, it’s going to be a disaster”, she concludes.
Regional governments have some
7,000 soldiers at their disposal
specifically trained for this task
Army
December 2020 Revista Española de Defensa 9