Brazil's Ministry of Defense issues guidelines for Armed Forces to fight wildfires

The Ministry of Defense published in the Federal Official Gazette on Friday, September 20, guidelines regulating the temporary use of the Armed Forces in support of efforts to combat fires and drought in the Legal Amazon. The Brazilian Minister of Defense, José Múcio, signed the document.

Among the measures is the activation of the Tucumã Joint Operational Command to act in the fight against fires. The text contains guidelines for the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen; the Commander of the Army, General Tomás Ribeiro Paiva; the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, Luiz Henrique Pochyly da Costa; among others, to ensure that all necessary steps will be taken to deploy the Armed Forces to fight forest fires.

Among the actions envisioned in this document is the provision of remote sensing images, the use of the fire panel with specialized personnel and training, as well as data of interest and communications equipment, through the Operational Management Center of the Amazon Protection System [Centro Gestor Operacional do Sistema de Proteção da Amazônia/CENSIPAM].

Operations should include the deployment of Armed Forces social assistance professionals in emergencies, states of public calamity, disasters and humanitarian actions, within the purview of the Ministry of Defense, through the Department of Health and Social Assistance [Departamento de Saúde e Assistência Social/DESAS].