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Mayor José Pérez on Wildfire Prevention: "We All Need to Stay Alert"

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The municipal corporation has carried out a series of tasks in urban and rural areas, including the creation of firebreaks, the reduction of combustible materials or waste, and patrols across various sectors.

Ongoing wildfire prevention efforts are among the priorities set by the municipality to address the complexities of the current season in Los Ángeles. This has translated into significant municipal work, leading the Wildfire Prevention Committee.

In this context, a new session of the Committee was held yesterday—the first chaired by Mayor José Pérez Arriagada—who emphasized the importance of maintaining proper and timely coordination to address any emergency promptly.

For this reason, the mayor acknowledged the different members of this initiative, noting the participation of public and private entities that have joined efforts for over a year, including the Provincial Presidential Delegation, the Emergency Unit of the Municipal Security and Inspection Directorate, Corma, the Prevention Network, Firefighters, Carabineros, the Army, Conaf, and forestry companies CMPC, Arauco, and Comaco.

In this context, the municipal corporation has completed a series of tasks in urban and rural areas, including the creation of firebreaks and the reduction of combustible materials or waste.

Additionally, in collaboration with the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) and companies CMPC and Arauco, cleanup efforts have been carried out in rural schools and critical structures, deploying crews and brigades to later remove waste from schools, clinics, and community centers.

Equally important is the commitment shown by residents who are part of the 14 wildfire prevention committees coordinated by the Municipality of Los Ángeles. Through their work, they have emphasized that prevention is a shared responsibility among all community members. The committees' efforts have included educational talks, operations to remove combustible materials, and the distribution of alert flags.

PREVENTION COMMITTEE

Mayor Pérez stressed that "it is extremely important that we have serious discussions about wildfire prevention in our community. Representatives from companies and all invited sectors attended, except for Public Works, which will join next time. The better we coordinate, the better the results will be."

He added that it is necessary to strengthen the capacity to prevent and combat fires that endanger lives and property. "Meetings like this are very important; we will continue working with the community and increase the number of people involved in wildfire control and prevention."

Similarly, the mayor stated, "We all need to stay alert because we will face extremely high temperatures, strong winds, and a higher wildfire risk than ever before. Grass growth has doubled compared to previous seasons due to rainfall from Santiago to southern Chile. Therefore, we must prevent anything related to potential wildfires, as not only forests are at risk but also the homes of our neighbors."

BACKGROUND

Among the updates shared at yesterday’s Prevention Committee session, it was noted that during the 2022-2023 season in Los Ángeles, wildfires burned over 5,426 hectares, primarily affecting the rural area of Paraguay with nearly 2,800 hectares.

For the 2023-2024 season, 14 municipal prevention committees were formed, receiving 65 signs and 100 alert flags. Additionally, a Local Prevention Plan was developed for the committees; risk factors were analyzed; community prevention workshops were held; urban and rural firebreaks were created; cleanup operations, waste removal, and reduction of combustible materials in risk zones were conducted; evacuation plans and signage installations were implemented; and a risk factor survey and inspection were completed.

Similarly, preventive patrols were carried out over 73 days between January and March of this year, covering a total of 21,900 kilometers.

Current seasonal efforts include the formation of 3 prevention committees; analysis, survey, and inspection of risk factors; community prevention workshops; creation of urban and rural firebreaks; cleanup operations, waste removal, and reduction of combustible materials in risk zones; evacuation plans and signage installations; and preventive communication campaigns.

Source:La Tribuna