National Defence, Internal Administration, Environment and Climate Action and Agriculture – Offices of the Ministers of National Defence, Administration Home and Environment and Climate Action and the Minister of Agriculture

Dispatch

Summary: Declaration of alert situation between 12:00 on August 13, 2021 and 23:59 on August 16, 2021, for the districts of Beja, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Santarém, Setúbal, Vila Real and Viseu.

Considering that the Center of National Operational Coordination of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), following the forecast of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) regarding the risk of rural fire for the coming days, with a large part of the continental territory at the High, Very High and Maximum levels, has determined, under the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 134/2006, of 25 July, in its current wording, the switch for special alert status of the Integrated System of Protection and Relief Operations (SIOPS), for the Special Mechanism for Combating Rural Fires (DECIR), in the districts of Beja, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Santarém, Setúbal, Vila Real and Viseu;

Considering the effort placed on the operational mechanism;

Considering the need to adopt reacting preventive and special measures to the risk of rural fire;

In accordance with the provisions of paragraph 6 of article 8 and paragraph 1 of article 9 of the Basic Law on Civil Protection, approved by Law no. 27/2006, of 3 July, in its current wording:

1 – The alert situation is declared between 12:00 on August 13, 2021 and 23:59 on August 16, 2021, for the districts of Beja, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisbon , Portalegre, Santarém, Setúbal, Vila Real and Viseu.

2 – In the districts covered by the declaration of alert situation, the following exceptional measures are determined:

a) Prohibition of access, circulation and permanence inside forest areas, previously defined in the municipal plans for the defense of the forest against fire, as well as in forest paths, rural paths and other roads that cross them, with the exceptions provided for in article 23. º of Decree-Law No. 124/2006, of 28 June, in its current wording, namely the access, circulation and permanence of permanent or temporary residents and persons who carry out professional activities there;

b) Prohibition extensive burning of scrubs and cut and piled debris/waste;

c) Prohibition of carrying out work in forest areas using any type of machinery, with the exception of those associated with rural firefighting situations;

d) Prohibition of carrying out work in other rural areas using metal blade or disc mowers, brush cutters, shredders and machines with blades or front shovel;

e) Prohibition of the use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic artifacts, regardless of their form of combustion, as well as the suspension of authorizations that have been issued.

3 – The prohibitions in subparagraphs c) and d) of the preceding paragraph do not cover:

a) Work associated with feeding and watering animals, phytosanitary treatment or fertilization, watering, pruning, harvesting and transporting agricultural crops, provided that they are of an essential and unavoidable nature and are developed in irrigated areas or areas without forests, woods or flammable materials, and from which there is no danger of ignition;

b) The extraction of cork by manual methods and the extraction (cresting) of honey, provided that it is carried out without the use of fumigation methods obtained by incandescent material or heat generators;

c) Civil construction works, provided that they cannot be postponed and that adequate measures are adopted to mitigate the risk of rural fire.

4 – The declaration of the alert situation implies:

a) The increase in the level of operational readiness and response by the National Republican Guard (GNR) and the Public Security Police (PSP), with reinforcement of means for surveillance, inspection, behavior-deterring patroling and general support to protection and rescue operations that may be triggered, considering for this purpose authorized the interruption of the vacation license and the suspension of days off and rest periods;

b) The increase in the degree of readiness and mobilization of emergency medical teams, public health and psychosocial support, by the competent authorities in the areas of health and social security, through their respective subordination;

c) The permanent mobilization of Sapadores Florestais teams;

d) The permanent mobilization of the National Corps of Forestry Agents and Nature Watchers that are part of the fire prevention and firefighting mechanism, by the Institute of Nature and Forest Conservation, IP, through the respective subordination;

e) The increase in the level of readiness of the response teams of entities with a special duty of cooperation in the areas of communications (operators of fixed and mobile networks) and energy (transport and distribution);

f) The use of available means provided for in the National Plan and in the respective District Civil Protection and Emergency Plans;

g) The carrying out by the GNR of patrol actions (surveillance) and aerial inspection through the means of the Armed Forces, in the districts in a special state of alert of SIOPS, for DECIR, focusing on places marked with a very high and maximum fire risk;

h) Dismissal from service or justification of absences by workers, in the public or private sector, who cumulatively perform the functions of volunteer firefighters, pursuant to articles 26 and 26-A of Decree-Law no. 241 /2007, of June 21, except for those who perform functions in the Armed Forces, Security Forces and ANEPC, as well as in public service providing health care in emergency situations, namely pre-hospital emergency technicians and nurses of the National Institute of Medical Emergency, IP.

5 – The issuance of a warning to the population by ANEPC on the danger of rural fire is determined.

6 – The Ministry of National Defence, through the Armed Forces, must respond to ANEPC’s requests with military air resources belonging to the national forces system, depending on the existing availability.

7 – The declaration of the alert situation determines the immediate activation of territorially competent institutional coordination structures, namely the National Operational Coordination Center and the district operational coordination centers of the districts covered.