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“Portugal has a catastrophic amount of fuel in its forests”

A team of South African experts was in our country, invited by Tiago Oliveira, president of the Mission Structure for the Management of Rural Fire. The head of the team was alarmed by what he saw: “If nothing is done, it can burn all over again”

What was the purpose of your visit to Portugal?

Our team belongs to Wildfire , a company specializing in fire management and the articulation of all means of combat. This visit was part of an international sharing program. The reason is simple: fire behaves exactly the same throughout the world. The science of fire is exactly the same. People speak different languages, but they do exactly the same. Which means that any lesson learned in one place in the world has to be shared. We do not have enough time to create our own experience. Mistakes should not be repeated because they can hurt or kill many people. That is why we are here because we have the experience that we can share.

What did you conclude about the situation in Portugal at this time, given the tragedy of last year?

Undoubtedly, the Portuguese situation is complex. It is not global warming or climate change that causes the big fires. It’s the fuel that’s available on the land to burn, and that’s one of the lessons the world is learning this year. California burned, Montana, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, Indonesia, South Africa all at the same time. And the common denominator in all of them was not the behaviour of the fire or the fact that it was very dry, but the amount of fuel on the ground ready to burn. And this has its origin in a large-scale bias according to which all fire is evil. One sees a fire and goes out because it is bad, bad, bad. Nature is not like that. Nature is poised to burn. There are many species that are adapted to the fire and seek it to develop, to maintain and to make the seeds germinate.

Is it important to clean the vegetation, one of the measures that the government has promoted most this year?

Yes, but not just at ground level. The commercial plantations are constituted by lines of trees with space between them, so that in a fire fight the firemen can move between them. If the trees are not so it is not possible to catch fire. They must have space between them.

And did you see much forest “disorganization” in Portugal?

All over the place. There are years and years of accumulated fuel, and the fuel has to be managed.

This happens only in Portugal?

I loved to say that they are special – and they are in many things – but in this matter they are not unique. What is unique is that you are very complex, have many small roads with only one entrance and one exit. If someone gets caught in the middle of a fire, it’s very bad.

What do we have to do more to prevent these large fires?

What is lacking is even large-scale fuel management. Anyone responsible for an area must be focused on that management. Burn the vegetation more, change it, cut it, whatever it takes … Give space to the trees and the firemen to fight the fires when they happen …

From what you say, is there always a great possibility of repeating the tragedy of 2017, at least in relation to the great size of the burned area?

Yes. Portugal has a catastrophic amount of fuel in its forests. Something has to be done. It is a complex situation. If nothing is done, it can very easily burn all over again.

If this problem is identified, why do you think it is not resolved?

One of the reasons is the prejudice I have already mentioned about the exclusion of fire. The fire existed many years before us and will continue long after us. The point is that at the moment this fuel problem has become global. Portugal has learned its lessons, and if nothing is done it happens again.

Is it like fighting fire with fire?

Not just with controlled fire. Anyway, at this point the amount of fuel is so great that they can not risk using the fire to make such management. It’s too dangerous. You have to clean first and then use the fire.

Apart from this fuel question, what other problems can you point out?

According to our experience, you have good training and training, great resources, field personnel, aircraft. It’s brilliant. However, and I will say this in a gentle way, sometimes there could be a better use of these resources. There could be more efficient use. It is not complicated to fight a fire, but managing a fire is a whole different science. In the triangle that constitutes fire – heat, oxygen and fuel – the only side we can influence is even that of fuel. It is the only part of the triangle on which we can have direct control. If we can do it, why do not we? We know it’s going to burn, it’s an emergency. It may be hot, it may be dry, but if there is no burning fuel, it just does not burn. Of course they can say that if there was no ignition the fire would not start. But if there was no fuel,

What do you foresee for the future in Portugal on this issue?

Unless something is done – and I do not just say it, I say do it myself – it will happen again what has already happened. And I hate to say this. But I can even write it on a piece of paper.

What was the biggest surprise of what you saw this month?

The speed with which the fuel has increased since the last time I was here in November 2017. It really hurt a lot. I thought there were big problems again. What do we do? Reduce fuel. My team, who was in the area of ​​Pedrógão and in Monchique saw electricity poles without the clean ground of vegetation around the wheel, when this was one of the causes of fires. We are not learning the lessons. And I say “we” on a global scale.

The government promoted for a few months the cleaning of the forests and many people did it …

But there has to be continuity. If it does not, the problem even gets worse. The seeds germinate faster.

Are there any countries that are a good example in fire prevention?

All countries have good and more areas. Here in Portugal, for example, in Sintra, in the area managed by Monte da Lua (Monte da Lua Parks), they are doing an incredible job in fuel management. We know that it is not an easy job to do all over the country, but it is even necessary. Politicians have to know this, because they are the ones who send the money. If there is political will, there can be change. People have to know that you cannot blame climate change. It’s too late for that.

From 10^th to 14^th September, the Metropolitan Command of Lisbon of the PSP, through the 1st Police Division and the Criminal Investigation Department, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, arrested, whilst caught in the act, five pickpockets, aged between the ages of 21 and 51, as they are suspected of stealing wallets at tourist locations.

The first arrest took place on the 10th, at 2:30 p.m., when the agents of the PSP were patrolling an historic area of ​​Lisbon with the mission of monitoring the movements of a group of pickpockets, realized that a man was leaving quickly the area as he tried to hide a backpack under his coat. As he was acting suspiciously the agents intercepted him, discovering that he had stolen the backpack from a tourist.

On the way back, the tourist was contacted and the backpack was returned with all the documents and content, total value 295 Euros. The suspect was taken to the police station. Criminal Investigation where it was confirmed that he had arrived in Portugal only twodays with the aim of stealing items from tourists.

The second arrest occurred on the 13th, at 3:30 p.m., when the police of the PSP saw a group of three suspected pickpockets following a couple of tourists and while the second was hiding the incident the third pickpocket opened the suitcase of the tourist and stole a small portfolio worth 16.73 Euros, which was passed immediately to the other suspect. They were unable to flee the scene because of the rapid intervention of the agents who arrested them and seized the wallet that was immediately delivered to the victim.

It was later found that the men were already referenced for other similar thefts.

The Metropolitan Command of Lisbon of the Public Security Police, in its area of ​​responsibility, continuing the objectives of prevention and deterrence of crime and illicit in general, in the period between 07h00 on September 15th and 07h00 on the 16th of September, carried out 13 police operations and detained 42 citizens for various crimes:

15 Driving under the influence of alcohol;

8 For trafficking in drugs;

8 Driving without legal authorization;

3 Theft;

2 For disobedience;

2 for R resistance and coercion on Employee;

2 For illegal possession of a weapon;

1 Illegal immigration;

1 Private Security offence and

1 For Other Crimes.

From the operational activity, it was possible to apprehend the following items: 5,452 doses of narcotic product suspected of being Cocaine; 764 Doses of narcotic product suspected of being Hashish; a Carbine; 5 shotguns

At 0510 Hrs on 14^th September the PSP Metropolitan Command of Lisbon, through the Division of Criminal Investigation, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, arrested a 26 year old man, for robbery.

After a report of a robbery at Cais do Sodré, the police of the PSP who were in the vicinity, contacted the victim who reported his mobile phone had been stolen by a person threatening him with a weapon

Armed with the description of the perpetrator of the crime, the PSP agents searched the area and identified the person in the Ribeira market area, in possession of the stolen mobile phone.

The detainee, with several criminal records, was presented at the Judicial Court of the Comarca Court of Lisbon, for 1st judicial interrogation, and was remanded in custody.

On 14^th September at 1830 hrs the Metropolitan Command of Lisbon of the PSP, through 3rd Police Division, in the parish of Carnide, seized various items suspected of being counterfeited.

The PSP were carrying out crime prevention patrols and saw several articles for sale, in some of the stands, with trademarks, which were for sale in bulk at prices below that in the stores of the brand.

Requests for purchase / invoices were requested, but were not producedat the time of the inspection, whereupon his precautionary seizure was made on suspicion of dealing with counterfeit goods.

In total the following was seized the following material:  610 pairs of tennis; 149 items of clothing; and 36 Bags.

On 15^th September a 29-year-old French woman fell approximately 15 metres whilst she was walking on the Levada Fajã do Rodrigues.

The São Vicente and Porto Moniz Volunteer Bombeiros left for the scene around 10:30 am, with 11 member of the mountain rescue team. Two forest police collaborated in the rescue operation.

The woman had a broken leg, as well as several abrasions and there was concern about her head. The victim was immobilised in situ and taken by EMIR (the response unit) to the local Health Centre, where she was stabilised and later transferred to the main Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital in Funchal.

Comment

Please ensure that you are well prepared for walking along the Levadas – tips can be downloaded here.

 

Media reports on Sunday 16^th September stated an alleged bomb threat was affecting a Binter plane, which was due to make the 18:30 trip from Porto Santo to Funchal this evening.

Online the newspaper says “JM had already tried to confirm the news about 20 minutes ago (around 18.00 Sunday), but neither Porto Santo nor ANA nor PSP admitted any problems. The airport services also reported that the flight would leave at the scheduled time”.

A few minutes later the Diario correspondent in Porto Santo reported that more than 20 passengers were prevented from boarding the plane to Madeira. Among these were the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Paula Cabaço, and other prominent Madeirans who were on the island in connection with the Colombo Festival.

Authorities, including a member of the criminal investigation brigade, were at the scene to investigate the situation, as well as the director of Isabel Velosa Airport.

The passengers have left the plane and returned to the embarkation zone and were only told that “the flight is delayed”. An eyewitness reported some suitcases being removed from the hold of the plane.

Later the same evening the incident has now been reported as a false alarm, and the flight eventually departed 90 minutes

The two made a trip from Lamego to Porto to sell a stolen shotgun, but they ended up becoming victims after running out of money, no gun and no money to return home.

After the deal went badly, the two plaintiffs, both drug addicts, invented a story that they had been robbed, in an attempt to pass themselves off as victims, so that authorities could take them back to Lamego. But the Porto Judicial Police discovered their claim was false and instead arrested them for qualified theft, trafficking and mediation of weapons and crime simulation.

On 10^th September the two individuals, aged 20 and 35, a warehouse aide and the other cook, broke into the residence of an emigrant in Lamego, where they stole a shotgun.

They saw an opportunity to do business there, selling the gun and buying drugs with the money, or simply exchanging it for drugs. Therefore, they went to Porto, where the probability of realizing the purchase and sale was greater.

On the way, the car broke down and they ended the trip by taxi. They went to the district of Ramalde, where they were with traffickers who kept the gun, without giving anything in return. With no transport, no money, they called the PSP, claiming they had been mugged. The case passed to the PJ, who suspected their story was not true and they finally confessed.

PSP de Lisboa arrested three young people suspected of drug trafficking and temporarily closed down stores for selling liquor to minors Thursday night.

The arrests and closure of the establishments were carried out in the context of a preventive police operation that seeks to “respond to the problem of increased consumption of alcoholic beverages and psychotropic substances by young people between the ages of 14 and 18 who attend establishments night entertainment, “police said in a statement.

The same note states that the PSP seized 50 doses of hashish to the three young people, aged between 17 and 22 years.

The three detainees were notified to appear in the Judicial Court of the District of Lisbon – Small Local Criminal Court, for judgment in a summary proceeding.

The statement also added that “several minors were identified and flagged for the consumption of alcoholic beverages and for the consumption of drugs”, among which 15 for the sale of alcohol to minors, one for the sale of beverages for the public highway, not for non-conclusive objects, three for peddling without authorization, two for lack of prior communication for street vending.

These establishments were closed for a period of 12 hours, on the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under 18 years of age

 

The Social Security Institute closed 277 nursing homes and 27 day care centers in the last three years, following almost four thousand inspection actions, more than 1400 of them to homes, which forced 33 urgent closures.

Data from the Social Security Institute (ISS), sent to the Lusa agency, reveal that in the last three years, between 2016 and 31 July 2018, 3878 actions were taken to inspect social facilities, 1446 of which were for nursing homes and other 482 to crèches.

Only in 2018 have been audited 101 kindergartens and 297 nursing homes, among a total of 768 inspections the social facilities, which resulted in the closure of 56 homes and eight kindergartens .

Over the three years, Social Security closed 277 households, 88 of which in 2016, 133 in 2017 and 56 until July 31, 2018. In relation to day-care centers, the ISS was forced to close 27, most of them of them (12) last year, after having closed in 2016 and having already closed eight in 2018.

During the three-year period, there were 33 urgent closures of homes and four crèches, and this situation only occurs when “there is an imminent danger to the health and integrity of the users”.

The ISS explained that, in these cases, the users are immediately withdrawn from the establishments, “being sent to their families or to social responses with the proper conditions, made available by the Institute of Social Security.”

On the other hand, 119 applications for licensing of new day care centers since 2016, 49 of them soon in that year, 60 in the following year and the remaining 10 in 2018.

The number of users covered by the cooperation agreements between the institutions and the State has increased in the last two years, with a further 803 children and 1,883 elderly between 2017 and 17 August 2018.

According to the ISS data, in 2017 there were 1864 childcare co-operation agreements, covering 72,391 children, number increasing to 73194 minors in 2018, despite the number of cooperation agreements to maintain.

On the other hand, the cooperation agreements for the Residential Structures of the Elderly (ERPI) went from 1623 in 2017 to 1645 in 2018, while the number of users covered increased from 59151 in 2017 to 61034 in 2018.