MT City Halls integrate efforts to combat forest fires in the State’s three biomes | VGN

The president of the Association of Mato-Grossense of Municipalities (AMM), mayor of Primavera do Leste (234 km from Cuiabá) Leonardo Bortolin, stated in a press interview this Thursday (25.04), that the protocol of intentions to intensify the actions of combating forest fires in Mato Grosso, covers all municipalities, regardless of which biome.

“Today we brought together municipal secretaries, members of the Fire Department, rural unions, state leaders – who represent these entities -, to be able to say that we will only be able to advance in preventing and combating forest fires in the three biomes of Mato Grosso if we work in an integrated way”, declared Bortolin.

The unprecedented protocol signed by the State Secretariats for the Environment (Sema) and Public Security (Sesp), the Fire Department and the Mato Grosso Association of Municipalities (AMM) provides for City Halls to create “Forest Fire Monitoring Rooms” and carry out hiring municipal brigade members for a period of four months. The training of these professionals will be the responsibility of the Fire Department.

Defending integrated work, Bortolin clarified that municipalities alone “can’t do anything”. He explains that municipalities can act by making equipment available, be it a water truck, a loader or other City Hall instrument.

Cooperation also includes the participation of rural producers: “From an aircraft to apply it to the crops, we can use it to help carry water, from a loader, from a motor grader, in other words, it is a task force to prevent fires this year. ravage the State of Mato Grosso.

Regarding the protocol of intentions, the general commander of the Fire Department, Colonel Alessandro Borges, stated that the debate intends to bring together all municipalities in the State, so that the action can reach its conclusion, involving everyone.

“It is important to increase our reach within the State, it is a very large State and every City Hall also has its responsibility. Today we are calling here to do preventive work, to bring information to the forefront, to show that in this period, from July to October, we have a very strong climate issue with drought, it is very dry weather, and during this period any type of fire is prohibited. , and everyone has to help”, declared Borges.

Colonel Alessandro Borges emphasized the decree published by the State Government, which states a state of environmental emergency for regions. According to him, the decree was drawn up based on information that points to a long period of drought in the State. “We are going to have a little more drought this year. The State Governor has already decreed in the Cerrado and the Amazon, a period that lasts until November and in the Pantanal until December, and this means that during this period, especially in rural areas, they will not be able to use fire.”

The president of the Mato Grosso Court of Auditors (TCE-MT), counselor Sérgio Ricardo, drew attention to joint work, especially considering climate change. “We are one of the few Brazilian states in the world where we have three ecosystems, Pantanal, Cerrado and Amazon. And every year we have difficulties, we face fires, just as we face drought. And climate change is very clear in our lives.”

According to him, Mato Grosso has little structure to deal with fire outbreaks. “Today, in the Fire Department, we have 1,500 men and I would just say. Because the fire outbreaks are very spread across the State of Mato Grosso and it is not possible to serve all places at the same time. We have frightening percentages, arson, the one that subjected it, that is, illegal fire, exceeds 90%.”

According to Sérgio Ricardo, it is necessary to carry out prevention, inspection and punishment work with the payment of fines. He states that joint work provides the conditions for effective work to combat fires. “Because otherwise a large part of the population, of public authorities, will be left working, trying to avoid it, trying to combat it, trying to prevent it. But the vast majority do not comply. They keep causing arson, causing illegal fires.”

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