An average of 50 military personnel per day have been working since April to clear forest paths in areas affected by Storm Kristin, totaling 500 kilometers, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Questioned by Lusa news agency, the spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Patrícia Fernandes, said that since April, military personnel have cleared about 500 kilometers of paths in 10 municipalities: Sátão, Proença-a-Nova, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Oleiros, Leiria, Pombal, Marinha Grande, Tomar, Vila de Rei, and Batalha.
The clearing of paths, land cleaning, creation of new accesses, opening of paths and "escape points" for firefighters on the narrowest roads is done using heavy machinery such as backhoes, graders, tracked machines, and tractors operated by military personnel.
Currently, there are 10 detachments on the ground, and the average number of military personnel involved not only in path clearing operations but also in support and development activities is 50 per day, she said.
The military's participation within the scope of CIPO activities also includes surveying and reconnaissance of affected areas, geographical reconnaissance and support for obtaining coordinates and georeferencing.
The spokesperson emphasized the "joint work" with various entities carried out by the entities that make up the Integrated Command for Prevention and Operations (CIPO), created in April by the government, in an operation aimed at mitigating the risk of fires as the critical season approaches.
CIPO, headquartered at the Leiria Sapadores Firefighters, aims to remove combustible material accumulated by storms, clean critical areas, reopen paths, and improve accesses.
Reducing the risk of rural fires before summer, in a year when thousands of trees have fallen due to storms, is what the government intends with this structure, which involves the Ministries of Internal Administration, National Defense, and Agriculture and Sea.
In addition to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, CIPO includes the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, ICNF, Integrated Rural Fire Management Agency, National Republican Guard, and the League of Portuguese Firefighters.
