Thread by @joduarteribeiro

Last 20 yrs #Portugal had the highest burnt area of EU. 2017 record a massive 540 thousand ha. That was the last yr I worked as firefighter on my home region Basto. I have seen much misinformation on fires in #Turkey that I wanted to share some comments (thread) #Turkeyisburning

European Fire Database (EFFIS) shows 95 thousand ha already burned in 2021 #Turkey. The annual average 2008-2020 was 13 thousand. It usually takes an atypical year (worst heatwave of the decade) to reveal lack of preparation for wildfires (prevention, resources, planning etc...)

June 2017 was that year for Portugal. In Pedrógão Grande, a small municipality in central Portugal, 64 people died. That year wildfires death toll was 120, the highest ever.
bbc.com/future/article…

Pedrógão Grande fire showed huge negligence problems in structures of command and communication between ministries and firefighting and other emergency forces. Most of the 64 people died trapped in a road that should have been closed.
nytimes.com/2017/06/18/wor…

It followed resignations of cabinet members, firefighting district commanders and the national commander. It led to shift between fighting fires to prevention and a nation-wide reorganization of the forest management policy led by universities.
phys.org/news/2019-07-p…

Now back to #Turkey. I've been watching the rage about no firefighting planes. And indeed planes help. But that is not the main problem. Under this heatwave I have seen (judging from afar) lack of resources on the field, outdated vehicles and generalized confusion.

Images shared everywhere (some below) show lack of proper firefighting equipment (helmets, eye protection, gloves, fire shelters). Fire teams from urban areas using urban fire equipment - not helpful for wildfires. Outdated trucks and civilians where they should not be.

Stop gloryfying inhumane conditions. The exhausted men below are not heroes. They are humans with fears and needs, with families. The only reason why they do not have a proper rest is mismanagement of resources. Firefighters die for exhaustion that leads to ill-decision making.

This heartbreaking photo, besides a tragedy, shows (I guess I can generalize) no planning at all. Massive pine forest plots near housing without any fire-resistant zones inbetween are fire hazards in high 🌡️ areas and among the #ClimateCrisis of our days.

As I said, unfortunately takes an atypical year for countries with structural planning problems (Portugal and Turkey) to radically change. The radical change needed here is political accountability.
duvarenglish.com/turkish-govern…

Keep seeing videos of brave civilians firefighting in #Turkey. Their bravery comes from despair, but reveals a deeper problem: not enough professionals. Wildfires are highly volatile and risk of death is very high. Stay safe and do not glorify the risk.

"Then every element is important, from helicopters to people on the ground digging a fire trench." - Good interview here by @PieroCastellano to a former THK CL-215 pilot. Especially suggested for the sprawl of uniformed opinion-makers on twitter.

pierocastellano.medium.com/interview-to-a…