As part of our Forest Fire Prevention and Suppression Brigade’s internship, exchange and training program, we traveled to Chile to spend a week at the base in Renaico, a commune in the southern part of Chile, belonging to the Province of Malleco in the Araucanía Region. At the same time, Emanuel Tula, from our technical team, went to Valparaiso to analyze the consequences of the urban forest fire that left more than 100 people dead and a hundred houses affected in the communes of Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache.
In charge of Mauricio Oliva (@pipifire08 ), our brigadistas Martin Lemunao, Dalmiro Dinamarca, Nelida Purran, Juan Cheuquepan and Piuque Cayun (from the Vera, Cayun and Curruhuinca communities), were installed in Renaico, in unit 917 (CONAF brigade). As part of the training, the practices began on the first night, when they attended an interface fire in Angol, a town 30km to the south.
They also received theoretical training by Hector Lobos Castillo (@hmlobos ), in which they saw the main concepts of the Chilean Fighter’s Manual; its tactics and techniques.
In each intervention, the brigade worked on the ground using hand tools and complementing the aerial work.
Mauricio Oliva, brigade chief, highlighted the importance of these exchanges: “These were days in which we learned a lot and strengthened ourselves as a team. The guys from the brigade worked with other crews where the organization was excellent and where we could see a higher level of work, both on the ground and in the air. We were very comfortable, we were very well received and we went home happy and looking forward to repeating it.
Thank you CONAF for opening the doors and allowing these exchanges that nurture and professionalize the work of our team.
