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Fourteen districts of mainland Portugal are on alert until 11:59 pm tomorrow and September is expected to be hot. But this past August has already proven to be a great job for firefighters. That says he is the president of the Fire Department. With the certainty that “the forest is going from bad to worse” and that the firefighters still do not have enough material to fight the fires, Jaime Marta Soares showed his indignation at what he has seen. “Our forest grows wildly, without planning or planning. What they say are all lies. I do not see, while I look, parish councils, individuals or public entities renting land for the planting of eucalyptus without making the forest mosaic “, he began by saying, emphasizing that, despite 2020 to date with the majority reduced forest fires in the last decade, the burned area has increased significantly.
“I hear many say that there is less burned area. But we are already in almost 50% more burned area than the previous year. Silence. Tell us what is possible to do, within the capacities and needs of the country. Let them say that and shut up, because there is no merit for politicians ”, shot Jaime Marta Soares, who fears the existence of fires similar to the one that terrorized Pedrógão Grande in 2017.
Seeking answers from the Government, Jaime Marta Soares also reinforced the fact that the firefighters did not have concrete information about the contamination by covid-19 when helping someone.
“We have to know the status of the person we are going to help. We defend the preservation of data, but there is a person dying and we have to save him. Firefighters must know whether the person they are saving is infected or not. But what kind of country is this? Why doesn’t the Directorate General of Health itself give orders to the firefighters and say so immediately? This is the pandemic of stupidity! Creating difficult situations for those who risk their lives. We are the same people who have been in the field for hundreds of years. If we don’t go to the country, who goes? ”He asked, emphasizing the importance of firefighters and that an agency should be created for these professionals.
“A fire department must be created with effective power even to counteract the incompetence of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC). Born dead. It is a white elephant. What is it for? Even today I read that Air Force planes are detecting fires at the request of the GNR. This is not GNR. It is a very respectable institution. So where is ANEPC? It is this situation for which this country needs to find effective answers ”, he concluded.
Air Force suspends drones
The rural fire fighting and surveillance teams were suspended after the fall of an Air Force drone destined for the Beja Air Base, in Alcácer do Sal, Setúbal district. ANEPC has already indicated that this suspension does not represent any limitation in the monitoring of fires, but the president of the League of Firefighters wanted to make clear the importance of unmanned aircraft.
“Drones are a tool that is aware of the event and sees everything. I respect the Air Force very much, but if there’s no money, don’t bet. Why was money spent on drones? If you didn’t have the ability to respond, why did you do that? “, I ask.
