Enhancing the effectiveness of forest protection through fire prevention and firefighting drills.

Professional firefighters are participating in extinguishing the forest fire.

As a commune with a large forest area in Dien Bien district, boasting over 8,500 hectares of protective forest and approximately 3,200 hectares of production forest, Muong Loi commune is also known for its strong tradition of forest conservation. To enhance the effectiveness of forest protection, Dien Bien district has chosen Muong Loi commune to host a forest fire response and search and rescue exercise.

In a simulated scenario where villagers clearing and burning undergrowth for farming, failing to comply with regulations, caused a fire to spread to the protected forest area in Loi village, Muong Loi commune, over 260 officials, militia members, reserve forces, forest rangers, police, military personnel , and local residents were mobilized to participate in firefighting and rescue operations.

According to Mr. Dao Van Trong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Loi commune, although the drill was rated as excellent, the practical exercise also revealed some limitations such as: the mobile unit of the commune arriving at the forest fire fighting location was slow; and awareness in handling situations was not high during the practical exercise. This is also a lesson for functional forces, the government, and people in the commune to learn from, promote the implementation of the "4 on-the-spot" principle, strengthen coordination between forces in the area, and consolidate forest fire fighting skills for forest fire prevention and fighting teams and people in forested areas... Through the drill, forest fire prevention and fighting plans were promptly supplemented to better suit the actual situation of the locality.

Mobilize forces to participate in responding to and extinguishing forest fires at the scene.

Last November, Dien Bien Phu City organized a district-level forest fire response drill in Thanh Minh commune, consisting of two phases: preparing for forest fire response (mechanism phase) and practicing forest fire response and search and rescue (field exercise phase). For the mechanism phase, the Dien Bien Phu City Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command organized meetings to assess the situation, adjust the forest fire response and search and rescue plan; assign additional tasks, organize coordination, and implement forest fire response and search and rescue measures.

In the live-fire exercise, the simulated scenario involved villagers burning fields, causing a forest fire in both natural and planted forests in sub-area 717, Púng Tôm village, Thanh Minh commune. The exercise mobilized over 600 officials, civilians, militia, and reserve forces; and included all necessary firefighting equipment, including 5 fire trucks from the Fire Prevention and Control Police Department (Provincial Police). The Dien Bien Phu City Forest Fire Prevention and Control Command implemented two training objectives: Using local forces from Púng Tôm village and Thanh Minh commune to practice forest firefighting and evacuating people's property from the dangerous area; and city reinforcements coordinating with local forces from Thanh Minh commune and other forces stationed in the area to practice forest firefighting, search and rescue, and damage mitigation.

Forces participated in a drill to practice responding to forest fires and search and rescue situations in Muong Loi commune.

According to statistics from the Provincial Forest Protection Department, since the beginning of the year, the province has organized 7 forest fire response and search and rescue drills at the commune level and 2 drills at the district level.

Mr. Tran Duc Quyen, Deputy Head of the Forest Management and Protection Department of the Provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department, said: "Through these drills, we aim to raise awareness, vigilance, and responsibility regarding forest fire prevention and control; improve the capacity in directing, commanding, and coordinating operations in handling forest fire incidents that require the participation of many forces and localities. Participating in the drills helps the forces become familiar with and proficient in using the tools, machinery, and equipment provided for forest firefighting."

With over 415,000 hectares of forest, Dien Bien province faces a high risk of forest fires due to the impact of climate change. In 2023, out of 75 forest fires in the province, 7 caused significant damage to the forest, with a total burned area of 2.94 hectares. Therefore, organizing forest fire prevention and control drills is extremely important in ensuring forest fire safety; raising awareness among officials and the public; and strengthening coordination among all levels, sectors, and forces. This is also an opportunity for localities to review, supplement, and refine forest fire prevention and control plans to suit the actual situation in their areas.

Source