Many months of prevention and planning work, new operational skills and a great commitment from everyone involved. These are the trump cards that Portimão has to face the new Critical period of the Defense of the Forest Against Fire (DFCI), which began yesterday, the 1st.
The executive council of Portimão dedicated this Monday to civil protection and went to the field to check on-site visit what has already been done to protect the forest against fires and to know some new things.
The tour began in Porto de Lagos, one of the seven towns in the municipality with the status of "Aldeia Segura, Pessoa and are being done on the ground. In the end, there was still time to induct new firefighters.
"What I expected and imagined to be done is being carried out on the ground and today we see proof that we have civil protection that guarantees the security of our fellow citizens and those who visit us," said Isilda at the end of the visit. Gomes, mayor of Portimão, who says that Portimão “is prepared” to face the fire season.
“We could all see that the money that the Chamber has made available for civil protection is being well spent and that the measures being taken are those that are required so that we can deal with unforeseen events, which, unfortunately, will happen always», he added.
And the investment has been considerable, namely in actions to prevent and clean up rural and forest areas. In the current campaign alone, nearly half a million euros have been invested in the creation of fuel management lanes, interruption lanes and in clearing land and streams.
In this field, as explained by Richard Marques, commander of the Fire and Civil Protection of Portimão, the Council was careful to set an example, "advancing from the outset to clean up municipal land."
With regard to the cleaning of streams, which is a «owner's responsibility», the municipality did not wait and intervened, with its own means, in «14 critical situations».
In other cases where the landowners did not clean them within the period provided for by law, notifications were sent. In total, 168 owners were notified, 117 of which carried out the cleaning by their own means.
In the remaining cases, in seven situations, the Chamber accepted requests for social support and, in 44 others, it replaced the owners, cleaning it, then sending the bill to the owners.
This was a prevention work, to which a planning effort was added, so that everything runs smoothly when the inevitable lighting occurs.
In addition to betting on the preparation of firefighters and other civil protection agents, as well as on the pre-positioning of means - there is a tracking machine parked between the Port of Lagos and Rasmalho and a rapid intervention team permanently on the border with the Monchique municipality -, Portimão also bet heavily on the post-fire.
It is that, as Richard Marques illustrated and Isilda Gomes reinforced, the relights "are often worse than the original fire".
“For many people, the aftermath seems like it's a minor thing, but no: it's very important! With a well-done aftermath, a second fire can be avoided. Often, relights end up being even more dangerous and giving worse results than the initial fire», said Isilda Gomes.
But sometimes this part is neglected, bearing in mind that “firefighters want to fight fire. When this is mastered, they end up decompressing and not having the will to do the aftermath».
This is where the newly created Portimão Aftermath Operations Team comes in, a unique operational group in the Algarve and a field that the mayor of Portimão considers "fundamental".
The Aftermath Team of Portimão, which only goes to the field when the flames are extinguished, “is made up of firefighters and forest sappers. Knowing what needs to be done, as they are the people best prepared for this, allows the team to stay on the ground after the fire has ended, preventing a re-ignition».
Another novelty is the Portimão Civil Protection drone, which is equipped with a thermal camera that allows you to see the hot spots on the ground.
This is particularly useful when the aftermath is being carried out, as it “indicates exactly where the intervention should be carried out and where it will have the best results. And, of course, it allows us to have a much broader perception of what is happening on the ground, without putting our men at risk», according to Isilda Gomes.
Another new aspect that Portimão invested in was the preparation of a Zone of Concentration and Support for Populations (ZCAP), at the EB 2,3 school in Mexilhoeira Grande. The gym of this educational establishment was prepared to accommodate more than a hundred people, with everything thought out in detail.
In this way, the municipality of Portimão is better prepared to respond to requests such as the one it received last year, during the fire in Monchique, in which it welcomed people who had to leave their homes due to the threat of fire in Portimão Arena. .
At the end, there was still time to get to know the special rescue team of the Fire Department of Portimão and for a graduation ceremony for new members of the corporation.
“I am very proud of our civil protection and the agents that make it up and, above all, of our firefighters and firefighters, as well as our commander. They are an example at the national level», concluded Isilda Gomes.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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