After the 2017 fires, Portugal increased by more than 2.4 billion euros the expense with forest fires prevention and combat. Numbers available this afternoon by Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (Agif) show that, in the last eight years, more than eight thousand forest agents specialized in prevention have been hired and there are three thousand more fire to combat the fire.
The investment fell short of what was expected. THE It had a budget of 3,235 million euros for application between 2020 and 2024, but 25% was to execute, with a quarter of what is planned.
More 2,427 million. The figures released on Tuesday show a reinforcement greater than seven thousand people in various sectors in the area of prevention: National Body of Forest Agents (+1,000 elements)Vigilantes of nature (+1.708)teams and brigades of forest sappers (+355)specialists and forest management teams (+180)forest technical offices (+2.492) and Force of Forest Firefighters (+414).
The reinforcement is practically stable every year, from 2019. 2017 to 2025doubled the vehicles available to the integrated rural fires management system (334 to 710).
ICNF has won 1,000 agents in recent years
The annual expense of increased 48%. The ICNF has more than thousand new paintings ( 1,977 to 3,041a growth of 54%).
In these eight years, it has tripled the annual expense of For firefighting, more 186%. Over 36 million from euros in 2017 to 103 million in 2024. The expense only retreated slightly in 2023.
Another 3,000 combat operations in 8 years
Os Human Fire Fighting Resources increased from 5,234 to 8,277, another three thousand operational in eight yearsan increase of 58%. And there was more 730 vehicles for almost two thousandan increase of 62%.
Os Forest Sappers doubled the number of vehicles available and started to have plus 712 elementsa 50% reinforcement between 2017 and 2024. GNR, forest teams of intervention, protection and help, had a reinforcement of 622 elements. They are now More than three thousandwith the right to 135 new vehicles in eight years.
Investment in air media increased 123%
The expense has risen 90% since 2017. And there are still airlines exclusively to combat the flames: plus 24 in eight yearsa 50%reinforcement, with a cost that went from 35 to 78 million euros per yearan increase of 123%.
The numbers are impressive in human and material means, but the Increased expense by 2,427 millionA, After the serious fires of 2017, it was not enough to wage the flames this summer.
