In response to the fires ravaging the Amazon and other biomes, Senator Zequinha Marinho (Podemos-PA) proposed that the federal government install specialized and permanent structures in the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to combat large-scale fires.
With the indication (INS) 63/2024, the senator seeks to mobilize the Executive Branch to present a bill that creates an aerial firefighting brigade within the agency. The document was sent on September 5 to the Presidency of the Republic, which is responsible for presenting laws that modify its organization.
According to Zequinha, the states are responsible for containing the fires, but they do not have enough resources to meet current demands. Therefore, the entities turn to federal agencies such as the FAB, which has aircraft that drop water on the fires. However, according to the senator, the Air Force does not yet have a specific sector to deal with large vegetation fires.
“We need to institutionalize this service, training firefighting specialists within the military career, in addition to expanding facilities and providing the necessary equipment […]. The FAB has proven to be essential in providing to state firefighters […], but situations like these deserve a faster and more effective response from public agencies”, argues Zequinha in the document’s justification.
Agreements
The FAB's KC-390 Millennium aircraft, developed by the Brazilian company Embraer, was used this year to help fight fires in the Pantanal and in São Paulo. The vehicle is capable of projecting around 12 thousand liters of water.
In Pará, in 2018, the FAB reached an agreement with the federal agency Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), which manages environmental reserves, to also assist in fighting fires in the Amazon rainforest. At the time, ICMBio had its own firefighters, who were transported by Air Force planes.
Indication
A recommendation is an instrument used by senators or committees of the House to suggest to another Branch the adoption of a measure, the performance of an istrative or management act, or the submission of a project exclusively initiated by that Branch. These documents do not need to be voted on. Thus, after being presented, they are forwarded by the President of the Senate to the receiving authority.
Read also
- Bill requires doctors to identify themselves on flights, so they can be ed in case of emergency
- United Airlines Announces Free Starlink In-Flight Wi-Fi on All Aircraft
- Heart Aerospace launches first 30-seat electric aircraft demonstrator
Source: The Senate Agency
