Emergency in the Canary Islands: Citizen campaign against forest fires

The General Directorate of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands has launched a public awareness campaign, urging collaboration in monitoring the forests due to the high risk of forest fires threatening the islands this summer. With the slogan "At the first sign of fire, call 112", the aim is to emphasize the importance of acting promptly at any sign of a fire to prevent it from spreading and becoming a catastrophe like those that occurred last year in La Palma and Tenerife. The Minister of Territorial Policy, Manuel Miranda, has requested that the public be vigilant and report any suspicious activity in the forests. Likewise, the Government of the Canary Islands is committed to taking legal action against arsonists and claiming damages and costs of emergency services in each case. Citizen collaboration has been key so far, as the emergency number 112 has received over 800 calls related to about 40 forest fire incidents so far this year, all resolved thanks to quick intervention. Some incidents stand out that have generated a high number of calls, such as the one recorded in Tegueste (Tenerife) in April, followed by El Rosario (Tenerife) in July and San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) in June. The Emergency and Security Coordination Center emphasizes the importance of remaining calm when calling 112, providing precise information about the fire's location, and answering the operators' questions for a more effective response. The Government of the Canary Islands has kept the Civil Protection and Emergency Response Plan for Forest Fires (INFOCA) active preventively and extraordinarily since March. Due to the recent heatwave and drought, the pre-alert has been raised to an alert phase, given the concerning situation of the forests that could lead to an uncontrollable fire. Therefore, the importance of acting quickly and effectively in the initial moments is highlighted. To address this situation, the forest fire response system coordinated by the Government of the Canary Islands with the island councils and the State Administration this summer includes 1,450 professionals, 174 intervention vehicles, and 18 air resources, including 17 helicopters and one ground cargo plane. The collaboration of all sectors of society is essential to prevent and combat forest fires, thus protecting the natural environment and the safety of citizens.