During a press conference at the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in Oeiras, António José Seguro emphasized that forest fires and the devastation they cause “cannot become a new normal that repeats every year.”
“We need to have a serious conversation about the best way to protect our forests and populations. There are numerous reports and proposals, and this work must be done outside of the fire season – around October or November – and we must strive for an intergenerational pact,” Seguro stated after a meeting with the National Civil Protection Coordination.
The presidential candidate argued that facing forest fires, the State “cannot only act, it must act.”
“We need to have a conversation about the management of our forests, about planning, organization, prevention, and better coordination between means and human resources,” he remarked.
When questioned about the periodic nature of these calls for a more comprehensive fire prevention strategy during the fire season, António José Seguro maintained that the President’s role is exactly “to draw attention when the public opinion is less attentive.”
“It is in times of peace that we prepare for war,” he noted, mentioning he has requested a meeting with Civil Protection in October or November to follow up on the topic, stressing that the proposed pact aims to ensure Portugal has “a forest organization that minimizes fires and, when they occur, provides containment areas.”
The former Secretary-General of the PS cited the example of the Penamacor fire last week, noting that it erupted “suddenly” and, “in 24 hours, more than three thousand hectares of forest burned, releasing energies that human and aerial resources can combat.”
“Therefore, we must focus on prevention, and prevention is not only having surveillance, not just having means to fight fires. It is trying to prevent the number of fires, especially with this scale and the ensuing devastation,” he argued, stressing that the goal is to avoid the situation where, as “happens every year,” in the face of potential tragedies, people resort to “only hoping for a miracle.”
“This must stop, and we need to come to an agreement on this,” he asserted.
António José Seguro highlighted that the President’s role, in this context, is to “create the conditions for this generational pact” to protect the national forest.
“This is done over time in offices, attempting to gather goodwill and, above all, those who have thought and already produced reports on this matter,” he said.
Besides calling for an intergenerational pact, António José Seguro urged the Portuguese population to avoid behaviors that might start fires this week, such as lighting matches or cigarettes, given the “favorable weather conditions for fires.”
“If we are all aware of the danger present, we can all take responsibility for protecting lives and property,” he stated.
The presidential candidate also expressed gratitude to “the women and men, the firefighters, and the Civil Protection personnel” who are “giving their best, often risking their own lives,” to save others and protect national heritage.
