“Negligence is the first spark: prevent a fire before it breaks out”: this is the name of the forest fire campaign promoted by the Croatian Forestry Department (Hrvatske šume) and started in June. It is estimated that as much as 90% of fires could be avoided if people adopted correct behavior.
The aim of the campaign “Negligence is the first spark: prevent a fire before it breaks out” is to raise awareness among both national and foreign tourists of their role in preserving nature, property and human lives from the devastating effects of fires, they underlined by the Croatian forestry company which this year has also created numerous educational contents for citizens on its digital channels. Furthermore, from mid-June, followers on the social networks Facebook and Instagram will also be able to win prizes for their commitment to promoting the campaign in their environment.
Interactive content
“Since the high fire risk period officially began on June 1st, I invite citizens not to throw away cigarette butts, to place glass and waste in the garbage and to always put out the last flame they light for any reason. To further motivate people, we have also prepared interactive content,” announced the general director of the Croatian Forestry Department Nediljko Dujić.
It was revealed that in 2023, in collaboration with citizens, 91 percent more forest area was preserved than average. “To get closer to this figure this year, in addition to digital channels, television and radio commercials were also created which include the most common triggers of summer forest fires: cigarette butts, glass and unextinguished flames. The Croatian Forestry Company will also address foreigners, via radio, on ferries and on the beaches,” they added from HŠ.
Over 200 cameras
An integrated video surveillance service with smoke and fire detection and a fire spread simulator are just some of the tools that the Croatian forestry company uses to protect forests throughout the year. In total there are 220 forest cameras distributed in 110 locations, managed by operational monitoring centers based in all coastal regions, as well as in the counties of Lika and Senj, Karlovac and Vukovar and Srijem (Syrmia). Last year the Croatian Forestry Department invested almost 13 million euros in fire prevention.
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