Panama's 2021 grassland fires significantly reduced The cost of fire control in two years is $6 million

Ángel Delgado, director of the Disaster Situation of the Panama Fire Brigade, recently said that a total of 2894 grassland fires were reported in Panama in 2021, a significant decrease from 2020, but the cost of fire control in 2021 and 2020 still reached 6 million US dollars.

Panama's "Panama America" reported on January 17 that thousands of hectares of grassland in Panama are affected by fires every year, in addition to causing damage to the environment, the economic costs associated with controlling fires are also quite high. Angel Delgado recently said that the cost of controlling such fires can reach about $1,000 per dispatch.

Delgado noted that Panama reported a total of 2,894 grassland fires in 2021, and while that number dropped significantly from 4,852 in 2020, fire departments spent more than $6 million to control grassland fires in those two years. Meanwhile, between January 1 and 11, 2022, the fire brigade has also dealt with 105 grassland fires.

Delgado said grassland fires are often related to private burning of garbage, use of fire to clean weeds, poaching and other behaviors. Firefighters are at greater risk when controlling prairie fires than other types of fires. When controlling grassland fires, the terrain is rugged and changes in wind direction can also cause flames to spread faster and potentially trap firefighters. At the same time, grassland fires can make the soil lose its ability to absorb water, and the risk of landslides will be greatly increased when the rainy season comes.

When dealing with prairie fires, firefighters use different tools. However, when a grassland fire breaks out in a rural area, firefighters have to walk long distances with equipment on their backs, and after the fire is completely extinguished, they can return to the fire station.

Delgado therefore warns that under the Penal Code, anyone who sets fire to vegetation without the permission of the environmental authorities and municipalities will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. In recent years, the importance of incineration permits has become more and more important, and the frequency of grassland fires has declined, but there are still some areas where vegetation is set on fire without authorization, so Delgado urges the public to actively report it, and the environment department should also pay attention to the education of young people.

(Editor: Rafael)