The entire device is in «maximum readiness and prepared» to fight fires in the Algarve. The guarantee is given by Eduardo Cabrita, Minister of Internal Administration, who visited, this Wednesday, 1 de Agosto, Loulé's air transport centre.
Since today that the Algarve is under Yellow notice, issued by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, due to high temperatures, but tomorrow the warning goes up to Orange, and, with the expected strong heat, comes the possibility of fires.
Therefore, the government's visit to the region aimed to "affirm what is a national principle: the maximum readiness of the entire device."
«We verified, in the Algarve, this interconnection between Firefighters, GNR, Armed Forces and the reinforcement of patrolling and awareness-raising measures. All together in this collective effort, also with great involvement of the region's local authorities», Eduardo Cabrita told journalists.
The region is one of the areas with maximum or very high risk of fire, with a gradual increase in the number of councils with maximum risk in the Eastern Algarve in the next 48 hours.
"Prevention is fundamental", considered the minister, who gave, as an example, behaviors to avoid: "do not make sardines in forest areas" or "do not launch rockets in risk areas".
The government official insisted on reaffirming that the device is “at its maximum capacity in the Algarve, on its various fronts”.
"The patrolling was reinforced, additional patrolling mechanisms were activated both by the GNR and the Armed Forces, which are already in full force," he exemplified. In the region, he added, there are "eight GNR patrol units in operation."
This strengthening of means has already helped, for example, to fight a fire that broke out this morning in the Serra de Monchique. The occurrence was tackled "in a minimum amount of time", which shows how "we are prepared", he said.
From January to July, there were 6500 fires in Portugal, the third lowest number in the last 10 years, with 70% due to the «inappropriate use of fire». “We have a very low burned area, but it is too early to make any balance”. Even because until now the firefighters had the great help of weather conditions, with temperatures below the normal average for the time.
Eduardo Cabrita was accompanied, on his visit to the Loulé Media Center, by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection and the national commander of ANPC, having met with elements of Civil Protection in the Algarve, such as commander Vítor Vaz Pinto, as well as AMAL president Jorge Botelho, deputies and Vítor Aleixo, president of the Loulé Chamber. He also paid a visit to the means of GNR, INEM and Firefighters.
The minister called on "all citizens to comply with the recommendations for a safer country."
Those who adopt risky behavior, he guaranteed, will have “zero tolerance”. "We are doing everything in terms of awareness, but the guidance given to the security forces is that, in inspection, there is zero tolerance for risky behavior," he concluded.
Photos: Golden Gonçalo and Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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