The Algarve will have "a slight reinforcement of operational" and another medium helicopter bomber for initial attack (ATI), in the most critical phase of fire risk, in the Special Device for Combating Forest Fires (DECIF) of 2014. The device it is considered “adequate” to the needs of the region, although both the relief forces and the local authorities admit that more would always be better.
The Algarve's DECIF for this summer was presented this Tuesday, in Faro, the same day that a protocol "unique in the country" was signed between the AMAL-Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve, the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), the Algarve Firefighters Federation (FBA) and various humanitarian associations of firefighters Of region.
In the light of this agreement, a joint effort will be made to guarantee a compensatory increase to the firefighters of the Algarve corporations who give hours to DECIF. At issue is the fact that the population of the Algarve triples in high season, which increases the number of occurrences, but also the difficulty in offering competitive wages, in a region where there is a lot of well-paid seasonal work.
Thus, a reinforcement of 60 euros for each 24 hours/man is now available (20 euros for each 8-hour shift). In all, more than 700 firefighters from Algarve corporations, who voluntarily adhere to DECIF, will benefit from this complement.
«We are predicting that Firefighters who have some of their free time available, can accumulate these functions, increasing their availability for the service. All of them are hired by their corporations and, meanwhile, are available to carry out extra work, on a preventive basis, to fight fires», summarized the president of AMAL and the Chamber of Tavira Jorge Botelho, on the sidelines of the protocol signing session .
«The number of firefighters in the Algarve is absolutely limited. Of course, some corporations have volunteers who will recruit with this money, for their availability. But, in the permanent fire department, the number of operational is not so high», he said.
Despite joining DECIF voluntarily, the firefighters in question must have adequate training, that is, they must be professionals (even those who belong to humanitarian associations). “In this specific case, all time counts”, due to the limited number of available operatives.
According to Jorge Botelho, this is a reinforcement "which has been done for four or five years", but this year, in addition to a higher amount of compensation, there was an agreement between the 16 municipalities in the Algarve, through AMAL, to share the contribution of around 317 thousand euros «in an equitable manner».
This reinforcement will be felt, for the most part, by the increase in the number of firefighters available in the Forest Fire Fighting Teams.
2014 device with few changes compared to 2013
Although there are some new features, the 2014 DECIF for the Algarve will not be much different from last year. The main changes focus on the Charlie phase, the one with the highest risk, which runs from June 15th to September 30th.
In 2014, the ANPC promoted the «consolidation of the concept of action of the two Fire Fighting Brigades (BCIN), for immediate reinforcement of the Initial Attack in the highest risk areas». There will be one of these brigades permanently in Barlavento and Sotavento, in the heart of the Serra, to help as quickly as possible the units dedicated to the initial attack. In this way, in addition to preventing the fire from gaining other proportions, the availability of ATI units is guaranteed.
Another novelty is the reinforcement of a medium initial attack helicopter, which will be stationed in Loulé. This aerial means joins those of Monchique and Tavira, with the same characteristics, which are also available in the Bravo (15 May to 30 June) and Delta (until 15 October) stages.
In the Charlie phase, the device will be reinforced by 17 firefighters and 38 military personnel (from 1 July to 30 September), but will no longer have two teams of forest sappers, which will be, in total, eight, with 40 operational and 8 vehicles allocated to them.
In the range of all means, including firefighters, elements of the security forces and the army, employees of local authorities and other public entities and private agents, DECIF will count, in the Charlie phase, with 419 operational and 114 vehicles.
According to the operational district commander of Civil Protection Vítor Vaz Pinto, this device is “adequate, taking into account the history of occurrences in the region”. In 2013, he recalled, «98,5 percent of the 419 fires registered in the region were put out with the initial attack», a performance that is expected to repeat or even improve this year. In other words, what is wanted is “an initial attack that is “fulminating and muscular”.
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