The Intermunicipal Community (CIM) of Alto Tâmega and Barroso has launched a public consultation for the Sub-Regional Action Program for Integrated Rural Fire Management. This document aims to guide prevention, fuel management, and territorial preparation against the risk of rural fires.
The program encompasses the municipalities of Boticas, Chaves, Montalegre, Ribeira de Pena, Valpaços, and Vila Pouca de Aguiar. It is the result of collaborative work among the 26 entities represented in the Sub-Regional Commission for Integrated Rural Fire Management of Alto Tâmega and Barroso, which includes the six municipalities.
Following the public consultation, the program will be published in the Diário da República. Subsequently, the municipalities will need to develop their respective Municipal Execution Programs, detailing at the local level the national and regional framework of the Integrated Rural Fire Management System.
Fátima Fernandes, president of the Intermunicipal Council of CIM Alto Tâmega and Barroso, emphasized the importance of this phase for the participation of citizens and local entities. "The plan has been validated and is now open for public consultation so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute," she stated.
Available for consultation are the Sub-Regional Action Program and maps of the Secondary Network of Fuel Management Strips, the Network of Water Points, the Forest Road Network, the Fire Surveillance and Detection Network, Priority Areas for Prevention and Safety, and Strategic Areas for Fuel Management Mosaics.
The document includes 53 intervention projects, with 12 identified as priority. It outlines a substantial budget for implementing the planned measures, aiming for the effective management of 51,811 hectares of fuel, covering high-risk areas with surveillance mechanisms, and reducing intentional and negligent ignitions on high-risk days.
Fátima Fernandes highlighted that prevention requires coordinated action adapted to the reality of each municipality, aiming for a joint effort that is "swifter and, above all, focused on prevention."
The CIMAT president pointed out the financial demands associated with maintaining fuel management strips, particularly in territories with extensive road networks and forest areas. She advocates for targeted intervention in priority zones, mobilizing municipalities, firefighters, forest rangers, landowners, and management entities.
"It is important to have a plan that identifies the entire territory and also the partners involved in this common objective, which is to prevent forest fires in this region," she stressed.
The documents can be consulted at www.cimat.pt. Suggestions can be sent to geral@cimat.pt within 30 days of the notice's publication in the Diário da República.
