GNR go to Mass to raise awareness against fire – TVI24

The GNR is to go to the churches to educate people of all ages against fire and reduce the number of occurrences, an initiative that, in Vila Real, enlists the help of firefighters and local authority.

The operations launched by the National Guard, “zero Ignition” and “Safe Forest”, running until May 14, the day before the entry into force of the Bravo stage to fight forest fires, the second most critical.

The military is to contact the people directly, go through schools, parishes and churches also, always insisting on the message that we must “take the utmost care when using the fire.”

To be able to reach more people, the GNR requested the collaboration of the church and at the end of some religious celebrations, the guards take to the pulpit, the place from where you do the readings, to alert to the issue of forest fires.

This is what happened today in Vilarinho of Samardã in the Vila Real district.

Here, the cable António Sampaio, the Protection Service of Nature and the Environment (SEPNA), told the Lusa agency that churches function as a medium for information and reach more people of all ages .

“The most important thing is that our message is passed to the population,” he said.

António Sampaio said that prevention aims to “change behavior so that the use of fire is done more carefully and more responsibly.”

In the Vila Real district, there were 608 events throughout the year 2014, that number has been exceeded in these first months of 2015, with 665 ignitions between January and on 04 of May.

According to the military, most cases occur due to “improper use of fire in agricultural burnings, which then haywire and cause forest fires.”

So, advised farmers to make small heaps of surplus and containment bands around, they always have water nearby and consider the risk of fire anticipated for the day.

At the exit of the Mass, the firefighters of the White Cross of Vila Real and technicians House distributed pamphlets and sweaters by parishioners.

“We understand that it makes perfect sense to be involved in these actions, because then we are the visible face in the fight,” he told Lusa the commander Orlando Matos.

The official said that the municipality of Vila Real “has been very harassed” by the fires, mainly because of “too much fuel exist near the houses.”

“The agricultural areas were no longer being grown and are growing the bushes. This leads to fires to approach more and more the houses, “he said.

Maria da Lagoa Glory, who lives in Vilarinho of Samardã, praised the initiative of GNR because “every year fires destroy the saw.”

“It was a charm of pine and every year burns. But is caught, does not burn alone, “he said.

Ana Ferreira Dias thinks that churches are a good place to get the message against the fires because people end up being “more closely”.

“Only when there is fire is that we grieve, now everyone boot behind us,” he said.

The president of the Parishes of Adoufe and Vilarinho of Samardã Union, Carlos Pitrez it was a good idea to use the masses because, reminded sometimes holds meetings in which no one shows up.

“It’s a good way to get information more easily to people,” he said.

However, the mayor lamented that despite the preventive measures taken, are few who undertake the cleaning of the woods and forests.

“While not someone punished seriously remains a scourge here in the region. Nobody cleans anything, “he said.

As part of these operations, the military is also directly contact owners for cleaning the land next to dwellings. Then, from the 15th of May, the GNR back to go through the same places already in enforcement actions, through notices of administrative offense who did not comply.