Yesterday, the Civil Protection Command announced that the Algarve will have another permanent intervention team and an additional Forestry Sappers team, for 2024.
These are the “significant changes” planned for 2024 by the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, which highlighted in a statement the contribution of the new permanent intervention team for the district of Faro, which brings the number of these teams in the region to 36.
The Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPCA) also highlighted that the rural firefighting device will this year include the addition of a team of Forestry Sappers, which will be “operationalized in the municipality of Silves”.
It is also planned to increase the compensation awarded to firefighters who join DECIR, by 6.10 euros, with the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) supporting an additional 3.10 euros and the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) 3.00 euros.
“Surveillance and inspection actions will also be brought forward in areas historically most vulnerable to rural fires”, and means of initial attack and/or expanded attack will be pre-positioned” in strategic pre-positioning locations, in addition to “another firefighting group being constituted”.
For the initial attack, an “initial dispatch will be made, within two minutes after the alert, in triangulation of ground combat resources, coming from the three fire departments closest to the identified location, combining three firefighting teams from the aforementioned units and a logistical team to support the fire department’s combat with primary responsibility for action in the respective area of activity”.
CREPCA indicated that “the closest initial attack aerial means and respective helitransport team will also be activated simultaneously, if available, or, whenever the fire is located in a priority parish, or even, in areas of high danger, The two closest initial attack air assets will be dispatched, for combined intervention by more than one initial attack air asset.”
“At the same time, the GNR’s forestry information maintenance and exploration team, permanently in the CREPC’s SALOC joint operations room, uses the means and teams of the surveillance, detection and first intervention device that operate in the respective area where an incidient develops”, said Civil Protection.
CREPCA added that, “given that, in recent years, as a result of a continuous process of lessons learned, the measures implemented have proven to be fruitful”, the option for DECIR 2024 was to focus on “consolidating temporary parking bases for means of combat in strategic locations, with high danger of rural fire, for pre-positioning and logistical support of immediate reinforcement units”.
Two firefighting brigades will be pre-positioned, one in the western Algarve and the other in the east, and two firefighting groups from the Algarve Fire Brigade and the extended attack company of the Emergency Protection Unit will be mobilized.
The device continues to have two reconnaissance and situation assessment teams at regional level, operated by the Fire Department, at the request of the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC).
It also integrates the 16 teams for reconnaissance and assessment of the situation in forest fires at municipal level, coordinated by the respective Municipal Civil Protection Services and with a tactical team for engaging track machines operated by firefighters qualified for the purpose, which will be this year reinforced.
The emphasis will also continue to be placed on “the close relationship with Parish Councils in the most vulnerable areas.”
Source Lusa
