Opinion (Rogério COPETO / Official GNR): FIRES, GIPS AND SERRA D'OSSA.
With regard to statistics on forest fires, there are still no final data for the year 2015, but the known data record “less 18% occurrences and burned less 38% of burned area, no decénio 2005-2014”.
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
With regard to statistics on forest fires, there are still no final data for the year 2015, but taking into account the "9º Interim Report Forest Fire – 2015 of 01 from January to 15 October", the responsibility of Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry (ICNF), it appears that there were "less 18% compared to the average of occurrences recorded in the decade 2005-2014 and burned less 38% the average value of the burned area for the same period".
until 15 June 2015 there were fewer fires, also we know that the year 2016 It started with the best record of the last 10 year old, according to "1º Interim Report Forest Fire - 2016 of 01 from January to 15 June", where it is stated that "Comparing the values of the year 2016 with the history of the last 10 years it is emphasized that there were less 74% occurrences, relative to the average for the decade 2006-2015, and that burned less 88% than the average of area burned during this period. The year 2016 presents, until the day 15 June, lower values, both in the number of occurrences both in burned area, since 2006 ".
As you know the majority of people "Phase Charlie" from "Special device to Combat Forest Fires – DECIF 2016"The responsibility of National Civil Protection Authority start-not next day 1 July and is considered the most critical DECIF, ending at 30 of September.
The responsibilities assigned to the GNR in the "Defense of Forest Fire Protection" are set out in "National Defense Plan for Forest Fire” do ICNF, it attaches to the GNR responsibility for monitoring, detection and surveillance, assumindo a GNR, by the Protection Service of Nature and the Environment (SEPNA) under the "National Defense System for Forest Fire" (SNDFCI), responsibility for the coordination of preventive actions on the present surveillance, detection and surveillance, also integrating the monitoring and detection device.
But as is known GNR not only integrates the monitoring and detection device, integrating by Protection Intervention Group and Relief (GIPS) or combat device, It constituting, in their land and heliborne shed, as a major force 1st Intervention, It is the land component, when deployed to areas of intervention, integrated at the municipal level in the operating device, operational dependence of the District Command Relief Operations (CDOS) and the National Relief Operations Command (CNOS), without prejudice to their hierarchical and functional dependence of Exmº Lieutenant General Commander General of the GNR, with respect to the wool device Intervention.
And because of the importance that the GIPS occupies in SNDFCI matter to bring this Subunit, belonging to the Intervention Unit (UI) and which consists of seven Companies Protection and Relief Intervention (CIPS), present in eleven districts of mainland Portugal, running helitransportadas missions to fight forest fires, consisting in this fight make the 1st intervention in fire springs, making move from helicopter (light or medium) to the Theater of Operations, after the order of CDOS, which should not exceed two minutes, after known the location of the fire, through teams or sections, five or eight military respectively, depending on the air means, lying equipped with firefighter equipment to make direct fire fighting.
Intervention Land consists of forest fire fighting by a Protection Intervention Team and Relief (EIPS) composed of four soldiers, that displaces with a Light Car Fire Fighting (WOLVES), which has a storage capacity of about 500 lt water and sapper material for direct combat and indirect combat, also being engaged in rule in 1st Intervention actions in fire springs, in support of Team / Section heliborne, and when requested, They can be engaged in expanded attack larger fires.
GIPS was created by the Decree-she 22/2006, of 2 Feb., completing so this year its tenth anniversary, and that after ten years of existence no longer doubt its added value for the SNDFCI, having from the first year efficacy in fulfilling their next mission of 100%, constituting as one of the valences in GNR more effectively, it is difficult to find in any other occupation effective as, knowing that their intervention begins in the first two minutes.
Also the complete ten years is the forest fire of great proportions, that occurred in the Serra D'Ossa in August 2006 which began on 7 August in "Monte Infante" in Serra D'Ossa, municipality of Estremoz and covering beyond Estremoz county, the municipalities of Borba, Vila Viçosa, Redondo and Alandroal and deserved the visit of Minister of State and Internal Administration Minister and 1st in exercise, Dr. António Costa, twice, having been given the work done by, on 14 with the withdrawal of the Advanced Command Post Theater of Operations.
So we take the opportunity to once again remind the work of firefighters, dozens of corporations, not only the Évora district, as well as other parts of the country, that life-threatening fought the fire, and the performance of military GNR, revealed that in all situations professionalism and selfless commitment, that day and night, all along, They did not falter before the effort increase that was requested them, having responded efficiently and effectively to all requests submitted to it, constantly adapting to developments in.
We end with a reference to the article that we prepared last year called "forest fires", where we remember the terrible year 2013, with regard to loss of human lives, that occurred during the fighting fires that have occurred this year, as the worst of the past, and it was therefore prepared the Report "Large forest fires and fatal accidents in 2013", in order to better get to know the causes of such tragic occurrences, we hope do not happen again.
