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The Necessary Preventive Work Surrounding Forest Fires

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Forest fires are undoubtedly a concern not only in the Region but throughout the country as we approach the spring-summer season. Therefore, preventive measures are key, and in this regard, Conaf made an important announcement: the construction of four new camps for nighttime brigades in Biobío.

This measure is also supported by an indicator from the past season, where 10% of the incidents occurred during the night or early morning. These camps will be distributed in Tomé, Coronel, Yumbel, and Cañete, areas selected due to their high incidence of fires in the absence of natural light.

"The selection of these locations corresponds to a strategic territorial positioning decision, associated with the higher occurrence of these events at night," said Rodrigo Jara, regional director of Conaf. Each brigade will consist of 20 firefighters organized in two 10-day shifts, with each shift comprising a group of 10 people. This aims to ensure a constant and effective response.

The regional director of Conaf also stated that "each brigade is composed of a brigade leader, a squad leader, a chainsaw operator, and firefighters (…) The brigades play an active role, primarily in urban-rural interface fires, related to the protection and safeguarding of homes." Additionally, as part of the preparations for this season, four new camps will be built for these specialists, and existing bases in Trancalco (Lebu) and Duqueco (Los Ángeles) will be renovated.

Jara also emphasized that "two new command posts are in the bidding process, and the Fire Prevention Program is being strengthened with a tender to implement new prevention teams, which will work directly on creating new prepared communities, as well as on managing vegetative fuel."

Undoubtedly, it is impossible to predict 100% what will happen regarding fires, as nature is often uncontrollable. However, carrying out these preventive measures in advance with good planning is essential to minimize risks and improve response capacity in such situations.