During October, the Foundation coordinated and participated in two courses on
prescribed burning:
From October 2nd to 7nd, we coordinated an international course on the management and use of the technical fire, organized by the Institute for Public Security of Catalonia (ISPC) with the support of the Fire Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The course was attended by participants from WWF Greece (Greece), Waldbrandteam NGO (Germany), @fere (Germany) and Lancashire FRS (UK).
“The connection between different countries with the same issues is fundamental. Speaking a common language, as that which the language of prescribed burning allows, generates more opportunities to advance as a society in the management of wildfires” explains Julián Cuevas, instructor at the Pau Costa Foundation.
The course included theoretical sessions to share the knowledge and experiences that would later be developed in the practical sessions. Workshops on straw and sandbanks were held, as well as burnings in El Graner de Cornet (Sallent) and in the Montgrí Natural Park.
From 17th to 21th, the Foundation held the “Basic Course in Technical Fire Management” in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), to train participants in the use of prescribed burning as a forest management tool, and as a technique in firefighting.
The training had 21 participants from Spain, Poland, Great Britain and Germany. The following topics were addressed during the training:
- Fire tools and patterns
- Fire behaviour
- Use of fire in prescribed burning
- Use of fire during extinction
- Security
- Prescribed Burn Plans
- fire ecology
- command structure
Watch the video summary of Juan Caamaño, responsible for the training area of the PCF, to learn about the different phases of a prescribed burn.
