700 men to fight fires
In a hearing at the CLDF (Legislative Chamber of the Federal District), the Fire Department of the Federal District details how troops will be mobilized during the dry season; the force will have two aircraft and soldiers to fight fires in protected areas and rural regions.
Brasilia 247 – The Fire Department is already preparing for Brasilia's dry season. In a public hearing at the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District (CLDF), the battalion guaranteed it will mobilize two aircraft and 700 personnel to combat the fires that are hindering air quality and exacerbating the drought in the Federal District.
The hearing was organized by district representative Joe Vale (PSB). The hearing discussed changing the focus of institutional drought prevention campaigns. According to those present at the hearing, the focus should be broadened, as the main cause of forest fires is not cigarette butts, but the burning of trash.
According to Franco de Oliveira, commander of the Environmental Protection Group of the Military Fire Department of the Federal District, the corporation will be more attentive to calls in rural areas and highlighted that the key to success in the fight against wildfires "is integration between different government agencies."
The commander gave some details of the action plan to combat the fires in 2012. "We are in the first stage, of prevention, with lectures in rural areas and schools. We are preparing to act in the most critical phase, starting in July. For this, we will have two more aircraft and 700 new soldiers who will have completed their training phase," Oliveira assured.
With information from CLDF.