The surge in the number of forest fires in Minas Gerais has caused incidents in the state to exceed the firefighting capacity of the Fire Department. A report by the newspaper Estado de Minas shows that, combined with a personnel shortage, the increase overburdens the troops, makes the presence of brigade members and volunteers essential, and ultimately causes delays in responding to demands.
Today, there are about 5,500 people in the state corporation. In September alone, however, there were 4,187 forest fires. And the number does not include routine calls, which are also handled by firefighters – among them, prevention, pre-hospital care, search and rescue, traffic accidents, social defense, and structural firefighting. In total, there are about 30,000 per month.
Between August and September, there was an increase of nearly a quarter in the number of forest fires in the state of Minas Gerais. It is estimated that human activity is responsible for 90% of the fires.
With the high demand, it is the population itself that suffers, successively complaining about delays in assistance. In recent weeks, Estado de Minas has recorded dissatisfaction and complaints from volunteers and residents neighboring the areas hit by the fire.
In Lapinha da Serra, in Serra da Moeda, in Serra do Cipó, in Nova União, and even in the Santa Cruz neighborhood in Belo Horizonte, there were complaints about the long wait for the military to arrive. Faced with the situation, neighbors join forces with garden hoses and even buckets of water to try to dampen the flames.
“There are many more fires this year,” Lieutenant Leonan Soares Pereira of the Environmental Emergencies and Disaster Response Battalion (Bemad), who is leading the fight against several hotspots in the state, told the newspaper.
He compared the situation to the new coronavirus pandemic. “Everyone began to understand how to ‘flatten’ the curve. If all the fires happen at the same time, it is impossible to deploy firefighters to put everything out.”
Given the situation, the firefighters established a priority scale for responding to calls. According to the State of Minas, in order of priority, it covers tackling fires that threaten homes, industries, businesses, parks, and environmental reserves. The idea behind this order is that, between life and the forest, life prevails.
To assist with the service, Administrative firefighters, known as the “fourth effort,” are working normally on an on-call schedule and can be called in at any time—which has happened on several occasions in recent weeks.
In a statement sent to the newspaper, the Minas Gerais Fire Department emphasized that it is fighting fires in all regions of the state. “Some are of large proportions, therefore requiring a significant structure that includes the deployment of dozens of military personnel, vehicles, and equipment. In addition, the Intense heat, the season's usual winds and the geographical difficulty make the fight even more time-consuming and difficult,” says the text.
The corporation acknowledged that it has difficulty meeting all the demand. “However, the Military Fire Department of Minas Gerais remains committed to attending to all incidents, considering the criterion of prioritizing assistance for cases that present higher risk to life of the region's residents.”
SOURCE:
FIRE
