“Brazil needs to create a culture of prevention”, says Semaden coordinator. José Marengo, general research coordinator at the National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts, says that Brazil “needs to be prepared not only to fight fires, but to prevent them”, and that the fires Brazil is facing are a “declaration of doom for science”.
In Australia, firefighters are specially trained to fight fires. Although many fighters are volunteers, Australian firefighters are specially trained to fight bushfires. Marengo argues the same should happen in Brazil: “It costs money, but it’s necessary”.
Social education is a pillar of controlling fire. Before the wildfire season, the Australian Government promotes education campaigns on what to do to reduce damage. Recommendations include: create firebreaks around homes; trim branches to keep them away from homes; remove leaves from gutters; cut grass, keep it green and short, and place ladders near windows.
Australia is fighting “fire with fire”. Aboriginal people in Australia have been lighting controlled fires for years, and these strategies have been adopted by local governments. Everything is done taking into account air humidity, plant flammability, topography, temperature, rainfall frequency and other factors. This practice is also used in Brazil, but procedures vary from state to state according to specific legislation.
The government uses task forces in case of a fire. During the “Black Summer,” a megafire that affected 80% of the country’s population in 2020, for example, at least 3,940 firefighters, 3,000 members of the armed forces and 440 rescuers responded. The government says 500 planes and helicopters were available to help fight the fires, dropping thousands of liters of water, foam and gel on affected areas, while thousands of vehicles were on standby to transport firefighters and agents.
It is important that Brazil learns from fire control in Australia, California and the Mediterranean. At this point, the fires will have to be extinguished anyway, but there is a need to prepare, to have a contingency plan.
José Marengo, General Research Coordinator at Semaden
