POTENZA – The Prefect of Potenza Michele Campanarothe President of the Basilicata Region Vito Bardi and the Regional Director of the Basilicata Fire Brigade Vincenzo Salvatore Ciani signed, on the morning of Saturday 29 June, the Agreement for the strengthening of the AIB – Forest Fire Fighting 2024 device of the Fire Brigade.
The Convention is operational from today until 15 September, during the entire period of serious danger of fires, sanctioned by decree of the President of the Region n.143 of 26 June. In particular, it provides for the strengthening of the AIB – Forest Fire Prevention device of the Fire Brigade, distributed across six homogeneous territorial contexts, in terms of geographical, climatic and vegetational characteristics: the Vulture-Melfese area, the area of the regional capital, the Val d ‘Agri and the Tyrrhenian coast, the Pollino area and southern Matera (Sinnica), the northern area of the province of Matera, the central area of the province of Matera and the Ionian coast.
In the six distinct areas, through a flexible device assessed on the basis of the specific needs identified by the provincial commands of Potenza and Matera, the use of AIB – Forest Firefighting teams, made up of five units, and DOS – Directorate of Fire Operations – patrols is envisaged. Shutdown, made up of two units, in the time slot 08.00-20.00.
The Agreement also provides for the organization of two nautical patrols, along the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts, with an operational unit BPS – Pneumatic Rescue Boat and a water rescue team of the National Fire Brigade, made up of three units, in time slot 08.00-20.00, for fifteen days in the period of greatest tourist influx.
Furthermore, this year, the Basilicata Regional Fire Brigade Directorate will employ, on an experimental basis, for fifteen days in the period of maximum fire starting danger, a team of two personnel from the Remotely Piloted Air Service – SAPR, with monitoring tasks for the identification of outbreaks and sending georeferenced data to the Operations Rooms, as well as ensuring support to the Director of Fire Extinguishing Operations – DOS in complex scenarios, with reconnaissance and survey activities of the interface areas.
The strengthening of the Operations Rooms – SO 115 of the two provincial commands of Potenza and Matera is also envisaged, with an additional unit for each Operations Room, in addition to the presence of three units of personnel from the National Fire Brigade at the Permanent Unified Operations Room – SOUP of the Civil Protection Office of the Basilicata Region, which is entrusted with the coordination of all fire prevention activities.
It should be remembered that the national and regional air fleet also contributes to the fire-fighting activities and that the Fire Brigade teams will be supported, in the active fight on the ground, by teams of forestry workers and volunteers from the Organizations.
“Strengthen the territorial branches of the Fire Brigade in the summer period is the best strategy for to make the prevention and fight against forest fires more effective, taking into account the particular orographic characteristics of our region. I therefore express my utmost satisfaction for the signing, again this year, of the Forest Fire Fighting Convention, which guarantees a decisive strengthening of the action to prevent and combat forest fires, with the use of the most qualified professionals by far. , those of our National Fire Brigade. For this I extend sincere thanks to the Regional Director of the Fire Brigade and to President of the RegionBasilicata, for the great sensitivity shown”commented Prefect Campanaro on the sidelines of the operational launch of the Convention.
