Firemen Prepare For
2010 Forest Fire Season In Guanacaste
(InofWeb Press) - The areas of Costa Rica
with the greatest incident of forest fires
are located on the Pacific coast;
specifically the cantons of Upala and Los
Chiles in the region of north Huetar.
Plus an increment has been seen, in recent
years, of fire incidents in the Central
Valley, which year to year will become more
frequent and will have greater severity due
to this type of phenomena, combined with the
effects that are already evident as product
of the climatic change.
In response to these facts, more than twenty
brigades of forest firemen in the voluntary,
private enterprise and governmental
institutions categories, plus foreing
brigades, will meet from the 14th to the
17th of January, 2010 at the campuses of the
National Technical University (UTN), and the
Escuela Centroamericana de Ganadería (ECAG)
located in Balsa of Atenas, Alajuela, for
the III Forest Brigades Mobilization
Exercise.
This activity is organized by the National
System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) of
the Department of Environment, Energy and
Telecommunications (MINAET) and by the
institutions that make up the National
Commission of forest fires (CONIFOR), and
made possible with the support of
International Cooperation Agencies such as
the Program for Small Donations (PPD-FMAM)
and the Office of Assistance for Disasters
abroad of the Government of the United
States (USAID/OFDA-LAC), plus the support of
private companies.
These brigades will demonstrate their
self-sufficiency during three days. They
will exchange work experiences; show their
best abilities in the use and management of
hand tools and equipment for the control and
liquidation of forest fires, plus partake in
physical aptitude test and teamwork.
"This forest brigades mobilization exercise,
will be of great importance for it aims to
determine our country´s capacity and
coordination to respond to a possible forest
fire of large magnitudes. Furthermore, in
regards to the organizational aspect of the
exercise, it will be a new challenge to be
able to coordinate all the activity using
the Incidents Command System (SCI), this
exercise will help to test out its
implementation", indicated Luis Diego Román
Madriz, coordinator of the National Fire
Management program.
During the 2009 fire season, Costa Rica
presented a decrease in the number of
hectares affected by the fires; showing a
reduction of 9619 hectares (during the 2008
season 23,416 hectares were damaged while
13,797 hectares were damaged in 2009) in
regards to the areas damaged by fires, in
comparison with the same period during 2008,
it is fitting to emphasize that this is the
smallest quantity of hectares affected by
fire since the first decade of the 21st
century.
Costa Rica is actively preparing itself at
an inter institutional level to face a new
season of forest fires. The National
Commission of forest fires (CONIFOR) is
carrying out coordination activities and
efforts to execute integrated actions of
fire management.
It is fitting to highlight that there has
been an observable lack of precipitation
this winter period, caused by the phenomenon
of the El Niño, that is affecting the
country, specifically the Pacific coast
regions are the most impacted by this. As a
result our country could encounter this
summer an active and prolonged forest fire
season, which will put at risk our natural
resources, their diverse ecosystems, wild
fauna, and our populations, amongst others.
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