The Government decreed the entry into force of the Contingency Situation covering the period between 00:00 11 July and 11:59 pm 15 July.
In the face of weather forecasts for the next few days, that point to the aggravation of the risk of rural fire, the Ministers of National Defense, of the Internal Administration, Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, of health, Environment and Climate Action and Agriculture and Food determined the Declaration of the Situation of Contingency in the entire territory of the Continent.
The Contingency Situation covers the period between 00:00 hours of the day 11 July and 11:59 pm 15 July.
This Declaration results from the elevation of the Special Alert State of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), due to the worsening of forecasts by the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA), with much of the mainland at the High levels, Very High and Maximum fire risk. It also considers the effort placed on the operational device and the need to adopt preventive and special measures to react to the risk.
The Statement of Contingency Situation, which can be extended if necessary, does not exclude the adoption of other measures that may result from the permanent monitoring of the situation.
So, within the scope of the Declaration of the Contingency Situation, provided for in the Civil Protection Basic Law, the following exceptional measures will be implemented:
– Prohibition of access, movement and residence within the forest areas, previously defined in the municipal forest protection plans against fires, as well as on forest roads, rural paths and other paths that cross them,
– Prohibition of burning and burning of leftovers from exploitation;
– Prohibition of carrying out work in forest areas using any type of machinery, with the exception of those associated with rural fire fighting situations;
– Prohibition of carrying out work in other rural areas using blade or metal disc brushcutters, bush cutter, shredders and machines with blades or front shovel;
– Prohibition of the use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic artifacts, whatever form combustion, as well as the suspension of authorizations that have been issued.
The ban does not cover:
– Work associated with feeding and watering animals, to phytosanitary treatment or fertilization, regas, pruning, harvesting and transporting agricultural crops, provided that they are of an essential and unavoidable nature and are developed in irrigated areas or areas devoid of forests, woods or flammable materials, and from which there is no danger of ignition;
– The extraction of cork by manual methods and the extraction (crest) honey, provided that it is carried out without the use of fumigation methods obtained by incandescent material or temperature generator;
– The civil construction works, provided that they are unavoidable and that appropriate measures are adopted to mitigate the risk of rural fire.
The Declaration of the Contingency Situation implies:
– Immediate activation of all emergency and civil protection plans at different territorial levels;
– The transition to the Red Level Special Alert State, of the DECIR, for all districts, mobilizing all available means;
– The reinforcement of the Fire Department's device with the contracting of up to 100 new teams, through the availability of the Fire Departments;
– The increase in the degree of readiness and operational response by the GNR and the PSP, with reinforcement of means for surveillance operations, oversight, patrolling behavior and general support for protection and rescue operations that may be triggered, considering for that purpose the interruption of vacation leave and suspension of breaks and rest periods authorized;
– Increasing the degree of preparedness and mobilization of emergency medical teams, public health and social support, by the competent authorities in the areas of health and social security, through the respective guardianships;
– The permanent mobilization of the Forest Sapper teams;
– The permanent mobilization of the National Corps of Forest Agents and Nature Watchers that are part of the fire prevention and fighting device, by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, through the respective guardianship;
– The increase in the level of readiness of the response teams of entities with a special duty of cooperation in the areas of communications (fixed and mobile network operators) and energy (transport and distribution);
– the reinforcement, by GNR, of patrol actions (Surveillance) and land and air surveillance through the means of the Armed Forces, focusing on places marked with a very high and maximum fire risk;
– The mobilization of support and response resources provided for in the emergency plans, particularly at the municipal level, of water cisterns to support suppression operations or other equipment;
– Reinforcement of service capacity 112;
– Exemption from service or justification for absences from workers, public or private sector, cumulatively performing the functions of voluntary firefighter, except those who perform functions in the Armed Forces, security forces and ANEPC, as well as in public service providing health care in emergency situations, namely pre-hospital emergency technicians and nurses from the National Institute of Medical Emergency.
The Ministry of National Defense, through the Armed Forces, responds to ANEPC requests with military air assets belonging to the national forces system, depending on existing availabilities.
ANEPC will issue warnings to the population, by SMS, about the danger of rural fire.
Under the Civil Protection Basic Law, all citizens and private entities are obliged, in mainland territory, to provide civil protection authorities with the personal collaboration required of them, respecting orders, guidelines and requests addressed to them, corresponding to the refusal to comply with the crime of disobedience.
