The training addressed the use, maintenance and conservation of brush cutters, chainsaws and sprayers. 16 community firefighters participated in the training, and all received certificates.
The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) promoted, for the first time, a training focused on the maintenance and safe handling of manual and motorized equipment used in the work of indigenous firefighters. The training took place between August 28 and 30, in the Serra da Moça indigenous community, located in the Serra da Moça Indigenous Land, Murupu region, in Roraima.
The initiative was carried out through the Department of Territorial, Environmental and Climate Change Management (DGTAMC), with support from partner organizations: Rainforest, Pawanka, Fundo Casa, Nia Tero and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
In the training, the firefighters received guidance on safety procedures, equipment operation, correct ways of use, cleaning and maintenance. In addition to the theoretical classes, the program also included practical activities to bring the content presented in the classroom closer to the reality faced by the brigades in the territories.
According to Ana Paula Levi, coordinator of the brigades, continuous training is necessary so that firefighters are prepared to act in different situations. And this training is precisely so that they can safely operate machinery and equipment, following the principles of Regulatory Standard No. 12 (NR-12), of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, which establishes protective measures for the handling of certain work instruments.
"It is important to have trained, trained firefighters, and we have this training. All firefighters have the training course, refresher course, everything to be able to act in the fight against forest fires",highlighted Ana Paula.
According to the course instructor, Wanderson Cleyton, the content taught is directly aligned with the needs of the firefighters who will soon work in the prescribed community burnings.
"As they will be constantly working with the issue of firefighting [...] It is essential that they are prepared for when the machine comes to have a problem, to give any symptom of stoppage, that they have this knowledge to do that maintenance, both preventive and corrective maintenance", he said.
Indigenous community firefighters play a fundamental role in the protection of territories. Among the main actions developed by them are the prevention, monitoring and fighting of forest fires and unauthorized burnings. They also work on the front line to remedy the effects of climate change. One of the techniques used by them is Integrated Fire Management (MIF), whose purpose is to reduce the areas that serve as fuel for uncontrolled fires.
Marivalda Thomaz has been working for a year and ten months in the Pataxibas Women's Brigade. The brigade's base is in the Sucuba Indigenous Community, in the Alto Cauamé region. Marivalda participated in the course and highlighted that the knowledge acquired is important in the actions developed in the territory and that she will share it with the other brigade members.
"Two firefighters were selected from each base, I was one of the selected and what I am learning here is all very new for me and my colleague. So, I am very happy for the opportunity, I am learning and we will pass on all this knowledge to the others at the base", reported the firefighter.
Also according to the supervisor of the Community Indigenous Brigade, Jonatas Firmino, the training contributes to expanding the autonomy of the firefighters and the communities, which deal with climate change on a daily basis. The supervisor explains that being prepared is essential for the protection of the territories.
"It [the training] brings autonomy to both the community and the firefighters. It also serves to motivate the firefighters to handle well tools that are used and that are useful for field work within the fires, for which we are preparing to be able to act safely in the field of each brigade that is being represented here," he explained.
The technical training is part of a set of actions developed by the Department of Territorial, Environmental and Climate Change Management (DGTAMC), coordinated by Sineia do Vale. The initiatives are to strengthen prevention and act with an effective response to forest fires in the indigenous territories of Roraima. In addition to training, the calendar of actions includes other strategies, including the carrying out of prescribed burns, scheduled to take place during the month of September.
The practice consists of the planned and controlled use of fire in previously defined areas, based on ancestral knowledge of the territories and specific technologies for this purpose. The technique contributes to reducing the amount of dry vegetation available to fuel fires during periods of greater drought.