Por Redaccion 
El Ayuntamiento de Alicante is considering opening a disciplinary and sanctioning procedure against the group of firefighters who last Thursday «aggressively confronted local police officers and tried, with a violent attitude, to storm the plenary hall» during the ordinary session corresponding to the month of March, as highlighted by the government team in a statement.
The spokesperson for the municipal executive, Cristina Cutanda, emphasized on Friday that the staff of the Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Service (Speis) has been increased by 47 positions since 2012, «while salaries have increased by 14 percent in the last year and 15 percent in 2023.»
Regarding the working conditions of the Speis personnel, which the group of firefighters who broke into the plenary session last Thursday were protesting about, Cutanda pointed out that «the body’s staff has increased from 132 positions in 2012 to the current 179, with an increase of 47 personnel,» and stressed that the salary increase for service professionals «is around 30% in the last two years after two increases of 14% and 15% in those years.»
Additionally, the spokesperson for the local government highlighted that «between 2020 and 2025, the City Council has made investments of more than six million euros in new vehicles, equipment, and renovations.»
She added: «To this amount, we must add another three million included in chapter six of the Speis budget for this year. Furthermore, in 2023, a contract was established for the first time in the service for the maintenance of the mobile fleet, amounting to 360,000 euros until 2027. And if we add chapter two of current expenditure on movable and immovable property, endowed with an additional million, the amount allocated to Alicante’s firefighters in five years exceeds ten million euros.»
«REMEMBERING DARK EPISODES»
Cutanda reiterated her «firm rejection» of the «intimidating and threatening behaviors that put the physical integrity of the municipal corporation members, the public, and other attendees at the Thursday plenary session at risk.»
She remarked: «The demands of that group of firefighters, regardless of whether they are acceptable or not, bring to mind other dark episodes of assaults on institutions that we thought were overcome in the current framework of our democracy.»
«We wonder how far that group of firefighters intended to go in their struggle and by charging so aggressively against the officers, because if they had managed to break through and bypass the police cordon, we do not know what could have happened,» she emphasized, later adding that «there were people in the plenary hall who feared for their physical integrity.»
She further added: «These behaviors are absolutely deplorable and should never happen again, because any demand or disagreement must be addressed through other channels where aggression and intimidation have no place.»
«The people of Alicante do not deserve anyone threatening and intimidating their legitimate representatives, no matter how much disagreement there may be, especially if municipal officials resort to violence,» she underscored.