Amid heat wave, Consell highlights fire prevention measures

The Formentera Offices of Interior and Environment have joined "This summer, keep fires out of the forest" (A l'estiu, ni 1 foc al bosc), a push by the Balearic Government to educate islanders about the period of forest fire risk from 1 May to 15 October.

Josep MarĂ­, councillor of interior, described awareness and prevention measures as "particularly crucial the heat wave and extreme fire risk that we are currently experiencing". The Consell de Formentera wishes to remind islanders of five prevention measures:

Dispose of cigarette butts properly, even if they appear no longer lit.
In the car and on the street, too: cigarette butts belong in the trash.
Keep rubbish far from the forest
Waste such as glass can ignite and cause a forest fire. Dispose of waste properly.
Call 112 if you see a fire
This will quickly activate the related protocol and send response workers to the site.
Review burn authorisations
Due to extreme weather, burn authorisations may be cancelled. Check beforehand.
Turn off machinery if it sparks
When wildfire risk is high, a single spark is all it takes for certain tools to cause a fire.

Fire buffers

Lastly, Councillor MarĂ­ reminded islanders living in wooded areas that they are required to make and maintain a safety buffer around the perimeter of their home. This reduces the volume of flammable vegetation and, by breaking its vertical and horizontal continuity, makes it difficult for forest fires to spread. Remove the dry ground-covering layer, selectively clear shrubs, prune trees and, if necessary, remove tree trunks to reduce the amount of vegetation.

Not only is a fire buffer the responsible thing to do, it is a legal imperative set out in various regulations, including Article 77 ("Measures for safe and secure forests in urban-forest interface areas") of Balearic Agrarian Law 3/2019 of 31 January 2019.

21 July 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

cartell 2022 ni 1 foc al bosc A