Opinion (Rogério COPETO): FOREST FIRE
Phase Charlie's "Special Device to Combat Forest Fires – DECIF 2015 '[1], considered the most critical of this Device, starts Tomorrow 1 July and ends 30 of September, wishing, that at best, arises as the 2014, which ended with one of the lowest fire records of this century.
Rogério COPETO
Lieutenant Colonel of the GNR, Master in Law and Security and Homeland Security Auditor
Head of the Education Division / Command Doctrine and Training
But in memory of all of us it is still the year 2013, the third most onerous of the last decade, logo seguir a 2003 and 2005, with regard to the burnt area, but the worst due to the loss of human lives, that occurred during combat the terrible fires that have occurred this year.
To better know the causes of such tragic occurrences, It was prepared the Report "Large forest fires and fatal accidents in 2013"[2] designed by the Centre for Studies on Forest Fires, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Science and Technology, the University of Coimbra, that right at the beginning of the same, honors eleven mortal victims, as a result of actions related to the removal and mitigation of forest fires 2013: Ana Rita Pereira, António Nuno Ferreira, Bernardo Figueiredo, Bernardo Manuel Cardoso, Catia Pereira Dias, Daniel Black Hawk, Fernando Manuel Sousa Reis, João Pedro Antunes Mendes, Joaquim Silva Mendes, Nivalda Lemos, Pedro Miguel de Jesus Rodrigues.
The authors note that the report aims to "... Contribute to the improvement of the system, ... Notwithstanding that we do not fail to point this Report situations that deserve from us or the people we hear, some repair and that can somehow be opportunities for improvement."
So, and main recommendations, the report states that the Attack Boost Groups Expanded (GRUATA) and the reinforcement groups for Forest Fires (GRIF), which are no more than Fire Stations moving from other parents of points, to strengthen the local fire department, have more training with other corporations, out of the fire season. Furthermore, that these groups if their distributed the "Order Mission" before they reach the theater of operations, in order to avoid engagement misfit, face the reality of occurrence, and that on arrival to be given a "Local Guide", in order to facilitate the movement into the unknown Theater of Operations, without loss of time.
It also recommends that the law be fulfilled with regard to the cleaning of forest and fuel management tracks, stating that the non-compliance are rarely punished.
It recommends that a profound reflection on the use of tactical fire (counterfire), why "... It was often done improperly, without proper technique, causing a hazardous situation and often with negative consequences, increasing the spread of fire or hindering combat tactics."
It believes that these recommendations remain updated and that they should be implemented, if you have not already, namely the creation of a bag "Local Guides" in every District Command Control and Relief (CDOS), so that they can be used whenever necessary, considering that this recommendation makes sense, but contrary to what you might think is not easy operation.
If as stated above the year 2014 from the viewpoint of the burnt area and the number of occurrences, It ended with a very favorable record, much the fault of bad weather the occurrence of fire, it appears that this year Phase starts with Charlie conditions favoring the occurrence of forest fires, wishing so that the device is the height of summer ahead too hot.
We know that over the last years much has been done under the Defense Against Forest Fires, whether in the fight, whether in the context of awareness / information and surveillance, and that the fire prevention area should be noted the existence of Defense of the Forest Municipal Plans Against Fires essential for defining competencies and distribution of responsibilities by the various entities involved, under the three pillars of Defense for Forest Fire (Structural Prevention; Surveillance, Detection and Surveillance; and Combat, Aftermath and Surveillance Post-fire).
Under surveillance and detection, the realization by the GNR awareness actions, particularly among farmers and municipalities, the enlargement of the lookout station network and the introduction of other actors in forest monitoring, such as the affects young people to volunteer programs, promoted by local councils.
And in the context of intervention in fires with the introduction of new forms of combat, which includes the so-called "Expanded Attack" or as some like to call it "Attack Muscular", which is developed using the enhanced means of neighboring fire brigades. This doctrine already fully consolidated, where the initial fighting a fire is made using the local fire department means and by means of two more bodies from neighboring fire, through a predefined triangulation, including bodies from different districts firefighters.
And so it is not possible to end all fires, because its causes are complex and varied, every year is placed on the ground a device, composed of human and material resources, so that the consequences of the fires as small as possible and that the losses are also reduced them, knowing that all these activities are aimed at reducing the number of ignitions and an immediate alert those occurring, not forgetting that "A fire in the first minutes goes off with a glass of water", but are the people who every year risk their lives fighting fires that deserve our highest recognition.
Are firefighters in particular and all those who fight forest fires life-threatening, they deserve our greatest concern, and so we leave here the alert, for the safety of the fighters is not neglected and are distributed all the necessary and sufficient equipment for their protection, including the fireproof uniforms and portable shelters used in emergency situations can save lives, so that the loss of human lives is a thing of the past.
[1] http://www.prociv.pt/cnos/directivas/DON_2_DECIF_2015.pdf
[2] http://www.portugal.gov.pt/media/1281135/Relatório_IF2013_parte1.pdf
