The dry season and the strong winds that intensify in the months of July and August, especially in the center and south of the country, are the essential component for the creation of fires, which added to the lack of responsibility of some people and the absence of preventive measures, increase fires, significantly damaging nature and causing incalculable losses to ecosystems.
In the Military Air Units, throughout the national territory, this year the Colombian Air Force has intervened in 10 departments of the country, with Black Hawk, Huey II and Bell 212 helicopters using the Bambi Bucket system, as well as with the C-130 aircraft and the MAFFS II system, dropping 361,368 gallons of water and special liquids to counteract the progress of the conflagrations.
Highly trained crews in this type of operations have flown with great expertise on the flames, high temperatures, smoke and winds, making 841 water drops on hot spots of forest fires, in a joint and coordinated work with Volunteer Firefighters, Civil Defense personnel, National Army and communities, among others, that under the direction of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management – UNGRD, are active and guided by the municipal and departmental authorities in each region.
Colombia, according to Ideam, has an area of forests of approximately 58,633,631 hectares, which are cared for and protected as an essential source of life. Forest fires represent a great ecological tragedy for the country.
The care of natural resources is the responsibility of every human being. As an essential foundation for the human existence, they must be protected and defended as well as life itself; for this reason, the Colombian Air Force maintains its operations 24 hours, guaranteeing a timely and efficient operation to face this type of emergency, in which everyone's responsibility and participation is required, since "Preventing costs less than containing."
Source: Colombian Air Force
