Fire prevention 2024 in Acireale, stringent ordinance and task force to deal with risks

ACIREALE – The municipal administration of Acireale gives stringent provisions For prevent fire risks.

The ordinance signed by mayor Roberto Barbagallo obliges land owners to carry out cleaning operations by May 1st and expands the bands bringing them 20 meters from sensitive points and streets in the city center and 10 meters from neighboring land and roads.

Fire prevention 2024 in Acireale

The mayor And the councillor at the Civil Protection Giuseppe Vasta they arranged the activation of a task force made up of twelve employees from the Environment and Local Police offices, to which will be added: Arcicaccia volunteers and technical support from two drones, who will monitor the territory and collect all reports. One will also be activated dedicated email to citizen reports.

Was required furthermore to Regional civil protection The upgrading of vehicles with two tankers with lances.

This morning at Palazzo di Città the mayor Roberto Barbagallowith the councilor for civil protection Giuseppe Vasta and the director of the Environment and Civil Protection Area Nicola Russopresented the measures adopted in the fire prevention plan.

The words of mayor Roberto Barbagallo

“Let’s try to deal with the fire emergency through prevention, which is the only weapon we have available. I ask the citizens to collaborate, let’s all do what we can to ensure that the dramatic situation of last year is not repeated. The ordinance provides that tAll owners of uncultivated land must clear it by May 1st.

The deadlines are getting shorter, the regional circular requires the Municipalities to map all uncultivated land and sanction And be wary the defaulters. The mapping will be sent to the Agricultural Resources Department which, through the Forestry Corps, will initiate replacement activities for the damage.

However, the Administration reserves the right to quickly initiate all damage replacement actions in the event of land causing particular concerns because they are close to the center or sensitive points. We have a month to map the entire territory.

We have therefore created a task force made up of employees from the local police, civil protection and environment sectors who will deal with verify compliance with the ordinance, and which will rely on the support of two drones. Starting from May 1st we will launch the verification of the entire territory.

Later they will arrive sanctions, the warns to the owners and the list will be sent to the Regionwith whom we will work in full synergy.”

The intervention of councilor Vasta

The councilor for civil protection and local police Giuseppe Vasta he invited citizens to collaborate for everyone’s safety:

“Last July we all became aware of how important prevention is and this Administration had already set out to anticipate the times. The ordinance starts from May 1st, the date by which the land must already be cleaned. The real news is the task force that will allow the municipal police and civil protection and volunteers from Arcicaccia to work together to verify the application of the ordinance during the summer period. The dedicated email will also allow us to collect citizens’ reports and will give us the opportunity to intervene quickly. I invite all citizens to respect the ordinance, there is time until May 1st, without prejudice possible criminal liability, in the event that it is not respected, a first administrative sanction will be triggered, in the event that non-compliance continues, the sanction will be doubled and everything will be reported to the Regional Department”.

Nicola Russo’s appeal to citizens

Also the manager of the Environment and Civil Protection Area Nicola Russo appealed to citizens:

“I thank the Administration which for the first year with the task force is giving us an important support tool. We need the collaboration of citizens. We will leave right fromthe lands in which the critical issues emerged in recent years and we will begin the mapping from here. The ordinance is the strong instrument, I expect the same strength of citizens to support thethesafety of all, of the neighborhood, desensitive points and homes”.