Firefighters from 3 regions strengthen coordination to face the upcoming forest fire season

A total of 70 representatives from Fire Departments in the Maule, Ñuble, and Biobío regions participated in a working session in Los Ángeles, aimed at strengthening coordination and preparedness for the forest fires that affect the country's central-southern area every season.

The activity brought together incident commanders, fire supervisors, and representatives from CMPC's territorial liaison teams, with the purpose of sharing experiences, learning about the company's operating systems, and establishing coordination mechanisms to improve response to potential emergencies.

The meeting took place at CMPC's corporate building in Los Ángeles and included a tour of various facilities linked to fire management. Among them were the Fire Central, the Transport Central, and a command post, locations from which resources, personnel, and operations are coordinated during emergency situations.

For Fire Department representatives, directly learning how the company operates serves as a tool to facilitate joint work when a rural fire occurs.

The regional vice president of Firefighters in Biobío, Nelson Matamala, highlighted the importance of bringing together representatives from the three regions in a single setting.

"Learning about the technology they are using, their way of working, how they are operating, and doing so with all firefighters from the three regions, mainly ours, which has had quite a few forest fires in previous seasons, is tremendously productive," he stated.

Coordinating before the emergency

Preparedness for facing forest fires does not begin when high temperatures appear. Throughout the year, institutions and specialized teams carry out actions aimed at improving their prevention, coordination, and response capabilities.

In this context, Francisco Reveco, CMPC's Territorial Liaison Manager, valued the session as an opportunity to build connections and establish shared working criteria before emergencies occur.

"It is undoubtedly a meeting point, a coordination point, that will allow us to work much better, more united, more coordinated, to achieve a more efficient result in controlling and preventing fires during the summer season," he affirmed.

During the session, CMPC's Deputy Manager of Territorial Liaison North, Cristóbal Palazuelos, presented the structure and functions of the company's territorial liaison teams. Subsequently, the Head of Territory Protection North, Ricardo Pinochet, addressed the coordination mechanisms used to tackle rural fires.

The session thus made it possible to advance toward a common goal: that, in the face of an emergency, the different actors previously know each other's capabilities, procedures, and communication methods, reducing response times and fostering coordinated work in the field.

With the fire season approaching, the challenge lies not only in having resources to combat the flames, but also in arriving prepared, with connected teams and known protocols before the first emergency occurs.