Miguel Freitas, Secretary of State for Forests and Rural Development, visited, this Thursday, 8 August, the municipality of São Brás de Alportel, to assess the preventive work carried out in the Defense of Forest Against Fires (DFCI).
The government official attended a working meeting at Paços do Concelho, which was attended by Castelão Rodrigues, regional director of the Nature Conservation and Forests Institute of the Algarve, Vítor Vaz Pinto, District Operational Commander, Vítor Martins, coordinator of the Municipal Service of Civil Protection of São Brás de Alportel, Vítor Guerreiro, mayor, Marlene Guerreiro, vice-president, David Gonçalves, councilor and João Rosa, president of the Parish Council.
After the meeting, Vítor Guerreiro accompanied the Secretary of State «on an aerial reconnaissance visit, for better knowledge and assessment of the vast work carried out, namely the fuel management strip of the 125-metre-wide primary network covering more than 200 hectares in the mountainous area. of the county», tells the City Council of São Brás de Alportel.
Cabeça do VelhoThe municipality recalls that "over this year, the Forestry Technical Office and the Municipal Civil Protection Service have coordinated the implementation of preventive measures for the Defense of the Forest against Fires integrated in the Municipal Strategy for the Prevention of Rural Fires 2019", and «a vast number of works are operational on the ground: in addition to the fuel management lanes, the primary network, 125 meters wide and 218,75 hectares in length, cleaning works were carried out on 24 hectares in the agglomerate of Boar, 11 hectares in the Outeiro/Juncais agglomerate and 5,7 hectares in the Bico Alto agglomerate, places of priority intervention in the prevention of fires».
The visit also included a stop at Cabeça do Velho, where the secretary of State met with field workers from the Army, Guarda Nacional Republicana – GIPS, São Brás de Alportel Volunteer Firefighters, from the Municipal Sapadores Florestais team, from the team of Sapadores Florestais from the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, as well as the local security officials of the council's two Segura Villages: Parises and Cabeça do Velho.
On this occasion, Miguel Freitas had «also the opportunity to contact the local community, leaving a message of recognition for the good work carried out by the municipality and by all partner entities, praising the primordial contribution of the populations, who were pleased to register on this visit».
The Municipality of São Brás de Alportel emphasizes that, «in a municipality where two thirds of the territory is made up of a forest area, fire prevention is a top priority for the municipality of São Brás de Alportel, being a mission that involves all sectors of the autarchy, which has been gradually materialized through the involvement of several public and private entities».
The active participation of the population is also considered “fundamental” by the municipality, which “has been investing a lot in information and awareness-raising actions, as well as in joining programs such as Aldeia Segura. An effort reflected in the growing involvement and collaboration of the community, in the cleaning of their rural properties».
At the end of the visit, Vítor Guerreiro, Mayor, praised the “effort and commitment involved in this fight that is done through prevention. An investment made throughout the year in a regular and systematic way, taking advantage of available community funds and the strengthening of key partnerships to minimize costs and expand the capacity for action».
Miguel Freitas, on the other hand, stressed that the “union of all entities and population in this noble mission of preventing fires and defending the forest is essential to optimize the scope of interventions in the field. The work carried out in the municipality of São Brás de Alportel is a good example for the country. However, this is an unfinished process, which requires vigilance and persistent and continuous work».
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