Given the weather forecasts for the coming days, which point to a significant increase in the risk of rural fire, the ministers of Internal Affairs and Environment and Climate Action determined this Sunday the Declaration of the Alert Situation throughout the continent.
The Alert Status covers the period between 00:00 on the 27th of July and 23:59 on the 28th of July.
This statement stems from the "need to adopt preventive and special reaction measures against the maximum and very high fire risk foreseen by IPMA in most of the continent's municipalities in the coming days", explains the Ministry of Internal Administration in a statement.
Within the scope of the Alert Status Declaration, provided for in the Basic Civil Protection Law, the following exceptional measures will be implemented:
1) Prohibition of access, circulation and permanence inside the forest spaces previously defined in the Municipal Fire Protection Plans, as well as in forest paths, rural paths and other roads that cross them;
2) Prohibition of carrying out fires and burning of exploration leftovers;
3) Total ban on the use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic artifacts, regardless of their form of combustion, as well as the suspension of permits that have been issued in the districts where the Special Alert Status of Orange Level or higher has been declared by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority;
4) Prohibition of carrying out work in forest areas and other rural areas using any type of machinery, with the exception of those associated with animal feeding and rural fire fighting situations.
The declaration of the alert situation implies, among other things:
A) The increase in the degree of operational readiness and response by the GNR and PSP, with reinforcement of means for surveillance, inspection, behavior-deterring patrols and general support for protection and relief operations that may be triggered , considering for this purpose authorized the interruption of the vacation leave and the suspension of days off and rest periods;
B) The increase in the degree of readiness and mobilization of emergency medical teams, public health and psychosocial support, by the competent authorities in the areas of Health and Social Security through the respective tutelage;
C) The permanent mobilization of the Sapadores Florestais teams;
D) The permanent mobilization of the National Corps of Forestry Agents and Nature Watchers who are part of the device for preventing and fighting fires, by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, IP, through the respective tutelage;
E) The increase in the level of readiness of the response teams of entities with a special duty of cooperation in the areas of communications (operators of fixed and mobile networks) and energy (transport and distribution);
F) The use of available means provided for in the National Plan and in the District Civil Protection Emergency Plans;
G) The performance by the GNR of patrol actions (surveillance) and aerial inspection through the means of the Air Force, in the districts in a special state of alert of SIOPS, for DECIR, focusing on places marked with a very high and maximum fire risk .
H) Dismissal from service or justification of absences by workers, in the public or private sector, who cumulatively perform the functions of volunteer firefighters, pursuant to Articles 26 and 26-A of Decree-Law No. 241 /2007, of June 21, except for those who perform functions in public service providing health care in emergency situations, namely pre-hospital emergency technicians and nurses from the National Institute of Medical Emergency, IP, in the security forces and in the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
In addition to the issuance of warnings to the population by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority about the danger of rural fire, the Air Force - through the Ministry of National Defense - must make available air resources to, in case of need, be operational at the locations to be determined by ANEPC.
The declaration of the alert situation determines the immediate activation of territorially competent institutional coordination structures, namely the National Operational Coordination Center and the District Operational Coordination Centers.
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