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Conaf Forest Firefighters to Have Remodeled Base in Biobío Province

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The signing of an agreement for $795 million to acquire 32 shelters, which will be available for CONAF's night brigades, as well as the investment certificates totaling over $2.149 billion for the replacement of the Duqueco Base in the commune of Los Ángeles, were formalized this noon with the signing of the respective documents by the Regional Governor, Rodrigo Díaz, and the regional director of CONAF, Rodrigo Jara, accompanied by the Provincial Delegate, Paulina Purrán.

These funds are part of a cooperation protocol signed by the Regional Government with the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), the Chilean Wood Corporation (CORMA), and the Fire Department to address the main gaps in wildfire prevention and response. Additionally, extra resources have been allocated to extend wildfire prevention programs in interface zones for various neighborhood associations and social organizations for an eight-month period, amounting to $3.576 billion.

Regarding this, Governor Díaz highlighted the short- and medium-term measures resulting from the joint efforts between the public and private sectors. "I appreciate the work carried out during the first half of the year between Corma, Conaf, the Fire Department, and the Biobío Gore. We managed to design a plan that will allow for more equipment, more preventive work from CONAF, and their commitment to bringing night brigades to enhance operational capacity in facing summer risks. And, of course, we will always be available to support them because if this is the forestry capital of Chile, they are the home team," he emphasized.

The replacement of the mentioned facility involves constructing a building to house the firefighters, with a total projected area of approximately 889 m², and will include external support spaces such as a multi-sport court and gravel pavements. The goal is to provide adequate and safe facilities for the brigades, significantly improving their response capacity in fighting wildfires.

In this regard, CONAF's regional director, Rodrigo Jara, thanked the initiative. "This is very joyful news for us because it allows us to improve habitability and infrastructure for our firefighters. It’s a dream over 10 years in the making, so we thank the Regional Council and Governor Rodrigo Díaz for supporting this major initiative."

Additionally, the director highlighted other projects to be implemented in the short term. "This is part of the work protocol signed in June of this year, which is funding nearly $9.5 billion pesos to improve and strengthen the National Forestry Corporation in the Biobío Region across various projects. One of them is the construction of brigade bases, as well as the acquisition of vehicles, command posts, pickup trucks that will allow for more efficient firefighting in interface areas, and modular bases for the deployment of four night brigades. Therefore, it’s a series of projects that will strengthen our work in the region," Jara detailed.