The Council of the Xunta has given the green light to the defense plan against forest fires this year, the Pladiga, which will be activated on July 1 with an amount -including the previous prevention phase- of 180 million euros. And that, as the president, Alfonso Rueda, has announced, it incorporates novelties such as training the residents of the 35 parishes -their number does not vary- with a high risk of fires.
To protect one of the “great wealth” of Galicia, Rueda has detailed that this year’s Pladiga is reinforced with a series of improvements, starting with a new firefighting operational control system. The objective is to specify in much more detail the functions of each of the 7,000 workers involved, so that their work is “even more efficient” when dealing with the flames.
In addition, the video surveillance network is expanded with six new cameras, for a total of 148; new technologies are incorporated to automatically generate perimeters; the daily fire risk index is extended to nine days; and for the first time, training will also be given to residents of parishes with a high risk of fire, to raise awareness and help them know how to act in case of fire; There will also be training for professionals, the coordination centers of Santiago and Orense will be improved and the investigation unit, created in 2021, will continue to be promoted, which has already carried out almost 250 inquiries in one year.
35 parishes remain at high risk of fires, like last year – 31 repeat and four leave, but as many enter -. In terms of means, with around 300 areas (Xunta and State), 13 motorized pumps are added, for a total of 380.
Rueda, who has emphasized that the Galician government’s work against the scourge of forest fires does not start now, but is long before the summer, hence the prevention plan of more than 30 million euros, has underlined that the Pladiga 2022’s objective is none other than to be increasingly effective in fighting fire.
