Through the Amigos da Floresta program, the company achieved a reduction in burned areas
Bracell ended 2022 with a significant reduction in the total area affected by forest fires, compared to previous years, considering operational data from the states of São Paulo and Bahia.
The total number of burned areas has been reducing over the years, however, the number of occurrences still needs to decrease. In 2022, more than 1,625 fires were recorded. In Bahia, there were 573 records of fire outbreaks in eucalyptus plantation areas and 536 in neighboring areas where the brigade members acted in partnership to put out the fire. In São Paulo, there were 516 occurrences, 468 in neighboring areas and 48 in forest areas, in which the municipalities of Bauru, Botucatu and Agudos recorded the highest concentrations of fires.
Douglas Pithon, senior manager of Asset Security, reiterated the effectiveness of joint action between Bracell teams with support from public security agencies. “With 24-hour monitoring, we improve actions for the preservation of plantations, sustainability and business continuity, contributing to the maintenance of the environment and the development of people, as we generate job opportunities in the region and support communities neighboring our operations”, it says. According to him, the integrated management of asset security and forest fire fighting is decisive for the results achieved.
The actions to fight forest fires carried out by Bracell take place through the Amigos da Floresta program, in which the Fire Fighting, Community Relations and Asset Security teams work with the communities, which receive visits from the brigade members where they disclose the contacts and promote awareness of fire hazards. The program also includes actions against vandalism, illegal hunting and fishing, and theft of wood.
Eduardo Soares, Fire Prevention and Fighting Manager at Bracell SP says that among the affected areas, the impact was minimal, as the team acted quickly to prevent further damage. “Dividing the forestry base into regions, positioning the teams in such a way as to provide greater responsiveness to incidents and hiring professionals from these regions are important factors for the success of the project and the results obtained. This operating model, together with other strategic actions, earned the company the Abrappe (Brazilian Association for Loss Prevention) award, as the best case in the ESG and Sustainability category of the Year 2022”, he highlights.
Another aspect that contributes to improving performance in controlling and fighting fire outbreaks is the training of these teams. Throughout the year, teams from both units participated in high-level training focused exclusively on preventing and fighting forest fires. The company also invested in the installation of towers with monitoring cameras and an Integrated Monitoring Center, located at the manufacturing unit in Lençóis Paulista, to monitor in real time, 24 hours a day, its forestry base in the state of São Paulo. In Bahia, forest brigade members participated in a level 3 course for professional civil firefighters, specializing in fighting forest fires. The training prepares the team for 15 types of action, including: water rescue, vertical rescue and technical, emergency psychology, urban and forest fire fighting, vehicle rescue and rescue, use of helicopter in forest fire, drone operation and search and rescue in collapsed structures.
