Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

For the second year running, the pre-campaign period has been brought forward owing to the situation in the Collserola, where low humidity and a shortage of water have affected vegetation. The Barcelona Fire Service will be conducting fire prevention patrols and the Vallvidrera fire station will come into operation in mid-May, with the full forest fire prevention campaign to begin at the start of June.

The pre-campaign also signals the start of preventive work around Collserola to prevent fires in the summer, with different teams deployed in the parts of the park which belong to the city (districts of Les Corts, Sarrià – Sant Gervasi, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris and Gràcia).

The aims of the prevention routes covered by teams in the woodlands are to:

• Improve knowledge of the woodland areas in Collserola and become more familiar with operational cartography.
• Strengthen knowledge of tactical elements in the area for the operational purposes of firefighters (access points, sites for vehicles, ridges, gullies etc.).
• Detect elements which could affect the task of firefighters in the case of a fire and provide solutions for these.

The Vallvidrera fire station will come into service in mid-May and get more vehicles and firefighters to ensure swift access to woodland areas and a quick response in the case of a fire. The summer forest fire prevention campaign gets under way in June and will be in place until mid-September.

Dissemination among local people

Information sessions on fire prevention are being organised so that local residents in the mountain areas are better prepared. These sessions highlight the importance of collaboration to keep spaces free of fire and how to make proper user of the surroundings, as well as what to do if a fire breaks out.

A forest fire drill is also being planned for 26 April to explain the operational response in these cases and highlight the importance of prevention and coordination between the relevant corps and local people in the neighbourhoods. The drill involves those responsible for self-protection plans in the mountain neighbourhoods, the City Police and the Collserola Consortium.

This type of exercise helps optimise the existing action protocols, at the same time enabling local people to get first-hand knowledge of what to do if a fire breaks out near their home.

Resources

The Barcelona Fire Service has drones to obtain aerial images in emergency situations and for prevention tasks, as these offer added safety for those tackling the situation and facilitate decision-making.

The service also has a four-wheel drive ambulance, unique in the metropolitan area, able to circulate in rural environments and woodlands and equipped with stretcher support which is specially design for circulating on rough terrain.

How can you protect yourself against forest fires?

Maximum caution and collaboration are needed from the general public during the hottest months. Since 15 March it has been prohibited to carry out forestry tasks or any activity which could generate sparks within 500 metres of woodlands. This includes burning waste and lighting barbecues.

If you see a forest fire, call 112 and provide as much information as possible.

For information on protecting yourself from forest fires click here.