The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) has reported that advancing coordination efforts to prevent and fight forest fires was the main focus of a recent meeting held in Chile.
The meeting, titled “Lessons Learned, 2024-2025 Season,” brought together teams from CONAF, the Chilean Timber Corporation (CORMA), and the Chilean Fire Department.
The event took place at the regional fire department headquarters in the city of Concepción.
CONAF stated that the meeting included forest fire professionals from CONAF, CORMA, associated companies, and the fire service to review progress in four priority areas.
The organisation explained that discussions focused on Communications, Information Management, Prevention and Mitigation, and Ground, Air and Security Operations.
Attendees also planned activities for the upcoming 2025-2026 season, focusing on better integration and joint response.
Esteban Krause, regional director of CONAF Biobío, said: “This is a wonderful meeting, as it allows us to work increasingly in a coordinated manner.”
Krause added: “Because although we have made a lot of progress, we still have much to do.”
Krause continued: “For example, on issues such as intentionality (…) we have to understand that fires affect everyone.”
Krause said: “We know where they begin, but not where they end, and therefore, it is essential to have spaces like this.”
Ramón Figueroa, president of the forest protection department at CORMA, said: “If we look back at how we worked a decade ago, we’ll see how much progress we’ve made.”
Figueroa added: “Today, we realize that only through collaboration can we achieve things well.”
Figueroa continued: “In the Biobío Region, we’ve reduced fires by 45% in five years, and that demonstrates how we achieve better results when work is done in a coordinated manner.”
CONAF reported that cooperation between CORMA and CONAF has been ongoing since 2017, with measurable improvements in fire outbreak detection and response.
The organisation noted that the strategy known as Golpe Único (Single Strike) was used, involving the immediate deployment of all resources upon detection.
Roberto Araya, Regional Operational Focal Point for Firefighters in the Biobío Region, said: “It was very important for the Firefighters to join this work that CONAF and CORMA had already been doing, where one of the most important elements, along with getting to know each other and coordinating with each other, is the improvement that our firefighters are receiving, which allows us to be more effective in fighting forest fires.”
CONAF highlighted several issues raised during the meeting that will require ongoing attention.
The organisation explained that challenges include standardising technical language between institutions, using fire as a prevention tool, and fully implementing the Incident Command System (ICS).
It added that the involvement of additional public and private stakeholders in prevention and mitigation efforts will also be a key area of focus.
The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) reported that advancing coordination efforts to prevent and combat forest fires was the main focus of a meeting held in Concepción.
The meeting, titled “Lessons Learned, 2024-2025 Season,” included participation from CONAF, CORMA, and the Chilean Fire Department.
Attendees reviewed progress in Communications, Information Management, Prevention and Mitigation, and Ground, Air and Security Operations.
CONAF stated that the Fire Department’s integration into joint efforts was a key step forward.
CONAF regional director Esteban Krause said coordination was improving but additional work was needed.
CORMA’s Ramón Figueroa noted a 45 percent reduction in forest fires over five years in the Biobío Region.
CONAF reported that improvements included faster fire detection and response through the Golpe Único strategy.
Firefighters’ representative Roberto Araya emphasized the value of collaboration for improving firefighting effectiveness.
CONAF also highlighted the need to standardise language, use fire as a prevention tool, and implement ICS fully.
The organisation stressed the importance of involving additional stakeholders in future efforts.
