Firefighters swing into action for rescue training exercise on Benalmádena's cable car
The Costa del Sol town's fire brigade has been rehearsing this operation for 25 years, due to its complexity and the resources it would require, although to date there has never been an incident at the tourist attraction
Firefighters from Benalmádena, Mijas, Malaga city and provincial brigades, along with the Red Cross, participated in a simulation of a rescue operation in the event of an accident on the Benalmádena cable car this week. The facility in the Costa del Sol municipality is unique in the province and therefore has a specific plan of action designed, both by the company that operates it, as well as by the municipal fire service, who each year invite colleagues from other nearby stations to learn about the manoeuvres, since in the event of a rescue in the middle of summer, the busiest time for this attraction, it is very likely that their support would be necessary.
Even so, it should be noted that since this cable car opened in 2000, there has never been an accident. The company that manages the installation, which belongs to the Parques Reunidos Group, has always maintained that the probability of a cable car failure is even lower than that of an aeroplane. Furthermore, the cable car undergoes extremely thorough maintenance, with rigorous daily checks, in addition to an in-depth inspection lasting a month each year, during which the facility remains closed, always coinciding with the period of lowest tourist influx.
The Benalmádena firefighters carry out both theoretical training sessions on specific topics and, once a year, they practise passenger evacuation manoeuvres. This year's practical exercise involved 35 personnel who familiarised themselves with the towers and anchorage points, and measured their reaction times. In some areas, rescues are easier because access to the cabins can be gained via a crane or a tension tower, but in others, the key difference is that they must slide along the cable to reach the point where the cabin has come to a standstill.
