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Municipalities Present Diverse Budgets to Address Emergency Fires in Biobío

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In Concepción, $75 million from the treasury is allocated to the Emergency Management Office, while in municipalities like Talcahuano and Chiguayante, only certain prevention actions are carried out.

As the season of high temperatures approaches, it becomes necessary to assess the level of preparedness of different territories in the face of potential wildfires. In this regard, it is evident that the situation among municipalities in the Biobío Region varies significantly in terms of resource management allocated for emergencies.

Some do not have resources specifically earmarked for this purpose, while others, within the context of their municipal department or unit, do establish a budget line for it.

It is worth mentioning that in August, the Committee for Disaster Risk Management (Cogrid) of the Biobío Region approved the Regional Emergency Plan. In this context, the director of Senapred Biobío, Alejandro Sandoval, emphasized the importance of municipalities in the coordination carried out by this service. He highlighted the legal obligation to have Emergency and Disaster Risk Reduction Plans.

Concepción

The Municipality of Concepción reported that within the 2024 Budget, approximately $75 million was allocated to the Risk and Emergency Management Office for these purposes. This is divided into $22.5 million to ensure communities are organized and actively respond to emergencies affecting their community development. Additionally, $19.2 million was allocated to strengthen the Geographic Information System of the Risk Management Office, along with $18 million focused on training Emergency Community Teams and another $15 million for the acquisition of evacuation and hazard information signage.

"These were the initial amounts budgeted for the Risk and Emergency Management Office to be executed in 2024, which have been increased throughout the year based on the unit's needs and requirements," stated the Municipality of Concepción, explaining that emergencies are dynamic and largely depend on weather conditions.

Finally, the Municipality of Concepción highlighted that resources are managed with government institutions for wildfire prevention initiatives, such as Senapred and the Biobío Regional Government.

Santa Juana

From the Municipality of Santa Juana, acting mayor Elizabeth Leiton indicated, "When an emergency occurs, we allocate all available municipal resources. There is no specific amount in a particular account; rather, all resources from different budget accounts are allocated for this, primarily for purchasing supplies and renting machinery."

According to the acting mayor, this year they allocated around $136 million just for floods. "This is complementary to the resources provided by both Senapred and private companies that cooperate with us in facing emergencies," she detailed.

"For 2025, we are proposing a separate budget item of 20 million pesos for preventive measures, more so than for emergency response itself," specified Elizabeth Leiton.

Meanwhile, Edison Fonseca, head of the Emergency Office, commented, "Generally, when an emergency occurs, a mayoral decree is issued to open the emergency event and declare a red alert, at which point all necessary resources are allocated."

Regarding the need for more resources, Fonseca stated, "More resources will always be necessary. The municipality of Santa Juana is very large, and we need as many kilometers of firebreaks as possible, though there is an inter-institutional work plan for this."

"Unfortunately, the central government's allocation of resources for municipal budgets does not consider this. When Law 21.364, which establishes the National Disaster Prevention and Response System, was created, it did not come with funding. They require you to create a department but do not finance it," stated Edison Fonseca.

Talcahuano

Every year, the Municipality of Talcahuano establishes an annual program of common and preventive actions, including measures for both the rainy season and wildfires.

"Specifically, in wildfire prevention, our Cleaning and Beautification Department, through the company Preserva, consistently carries out weed clearing and firebreak line tasks to minimize conditions for disasters. This also includes proper maintenance of water tank trucks that actively support the work of firefighters in our municipality or neighboring areas during wildfires," detailed the municipality.

However, in Talcahuano, there is no specific amount of money allocated for emergencies; instead, prevention measures are implemented through actions like the cleaning and beautification company's tenders.

Chiguayante

In the case of the Municipality of Chiguayante, they stated that there is no specific budget line in the annual budget for emergencies or wildfires. "Only human resources and light machinery for firebreak work in municipal-owned interface zones," they explained in a statement to Diario Concepción.

Currently, in Chiguayante, the forestry company Arauco coordinates wildfire prevention efforts. "In addition to the contributions requested from Conaf, which depend on demand and prioritization," they noted.

This municipality allocates resources primarily to machinery for creating firebreaks.

"All of the above pertains to prevention. For response, all available resources—ground, aerial, and infantry—are activated, depending on the magnitude, prioritization of other emergencies, and severity of the situation," they detailed.

Source:Diario Concepción