Basic Wildland Fire and Fire Behaviour Training
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development is currently implementing a five-year Global Environmental Facility funded project entitled, “Management and Protection of Key Biodiversity Areas Project”. One of the key components of the project is to support forest protection and sustainable forest management.
Earlier this year a firm from California, Fire Management Consultant International, was hired to train personnel from the relevant regulatory agencies, NGOs, and protected areas co-managers in enforcement and forest fire reduction techniques for rapid response team. Two one-week training sessions were held from the 16 th to the 27th of May. The class room sessions were held at the Aguada Hotel in Santa Elena Town and the field component was held at the D’Silva Forest Station in Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. A total of 49 persons were trained. Participants came from the Forest Department, Department of the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ya’axche Conservation Trust, Program for Belize, Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative, and the Rancho Dolores Economic and Development Group.
The training came at a critical time when the country is being affected by unwelcome smoke from forest fires. The participants were taught different techniques of fire suppression and how to plan for a planned burn. It is expected that the persons trained will use the knowledge and skills to train farmers on how to plan for a burn so as to avoid so many get-away forest fires. Forest fires do not only affect human health, but they also destroy the flora and fauna of the country.
