THREE WEEKS OF EXCHANGE COME TO AN END IN AUSTRALIA
The Portuguese experience in Australia has come to an end, following three intense weeks of hard work and a lot of learning from the representatives of the various entities that accepted this challenge. According to João Quadrado, expert-coordinator at #AGIF, “it was a very positive and rewarding visit, which allowed us to make contact with different entities in Western Australia. This was undoubtedly a unique opportunity to get to know, in detail, one of the best rural fire management systems in the world, which widely uses controlled fire as a fire prevention and mitigation tool. The networking created is essential so we can continue to share future knowledge and experiences.”
During the visit, there were many activities in which the Portuguese technicians were involved, in which they were always in very close contact with various entities involved in the management of rural fires: participation in controlled fire actions, visits to areas where prescribed fire was applied to reduce fuel consumption, visits to places where air resources are located, training centres, among others.
This past week, visits were made to the southernmost region in the Southwestern Forest, an area dominated by large species over 80 meters tall, where it was possible to compare the effects of vegetation with controlled fire actions versus rural fires. At the same time, it was also possible to learn about the historical details of the process that led to the expansion of the pine forest in that region, through the selection of maritime pine specimens of Pinhal do Rei, in Leiria, and all the steps to improve its genetics for greater adaptation to the Australian climate. A curious fact that excited the Portuguese team who saw the history of their country reflected in the current Australian forests and landscapes.
During this exchange, Portuguese experts had a unique experience due to the dry thunderstorms that caused a series of scattered fires. Following these episodes, the team had the opportunity to closely follow the operations from Western Australian entities in this type of situation and also visit the typical command post for a level-3 fire. This monitoring allowed us to better understand the level of organisation, interaction and cooperation between the entities, the equipment and resources used and also to participate in the Incident Manager’s briefing.
To end this visit in full, the team was welcomed by managing members from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions as well as by the Minister of the Environment for the region of Western Australia, to whom the Portuguese experts presented the main observations on their visit and shared the results of their experience.
