Proactively preventing and fighting forest fires

The Forest Protection Department has warned that many localities are at very high risk of forest fire at level 4 and 5, such as Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Binh Dinh. It is essential that forest owners, local authorities and functional forces immediately implement forest fire prevention and fighting measures as prescribed.

During the dry season in 2019, there were many forest fires in the Central region, causing serious damage. In particular, during the peak period, only for a week (from June 26 to July 1) in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Phu Yen, there were 45 forest fires, causing damage to nearly 300 hectares of forest.

Although localities and forest protection forces had taken many measures to warn, detect and treat fires, forest fires still occurred, there were even fires which lasted for many days causing serious damage. It was an expensive lesson for forested localities in alerting, and raising awareness of forest fire prevention and fighting in the community as well as deploying timely and effective fire fighting with the related forces.

In order to proactively prevent and fight forest fires and reduce the damage caused thereby, forested localities should take the initiative in directing and deploying urgent measures on forest fire prevention and combatsuch as ensuring 24 hour duty forces in high-risk forest fire areas, increasing information dissemination and education to raise awareness and responsibility in the community, and directing related forces to implement coordinative regulations in forest protection, forest fire prevention and fighting, while and at the same time having plans to ensure supplies, equipment and logistics for responsive forces to handle urgent situations. Law enforcement agencies should also mobilise the forces and means to investigate and clarify the subjects and causes of fire, as well as strictly punish violators in order to create a sense of responsibility in the community.

It is predicted that the heatwave will continue in some areas, so functional forces and local authorities need to organise inspection and supervision teams, and arrange permanent forces during the day to guard key forests at ahigh risk of fire. The forestry sector should also develop a warning and forecast plan, and from which devise solutions on forest fire prevention and fighting, in order to minimise damage caused by forest fires.