Copaíba promotes the first edition of the Practical Course on Fighting Forest Fires, in Socorro

The initiative aims to support rural property owners, who are among those most affected by the fires that are characteristic of the driest seasons of the year.

On the 13th, the Copaíba Environmental Association held, for the first time, a Practical Course on Fighting Forest Fires at its headquarters, located in the Pedra Branca neighborhood, in the city of Socorro, São Paulo. The initiative was implemented through the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu Program, with the cooperation and sponsorship of WWF-Brazil and Sylvamo. Under the guidance of 1st Sergeant Tavares, from the Socorro Fire Department, more than 30 rural landowners — supported by the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu Program — participated in the training and learned essential firefighting techniques, such as opening firebreaks, using fire extinguishers, and safely extinguishing fires. 

The course was one of the training courses provided for in the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu Program, and emerged as a direct response to the growing demand from rural landowners for information on how to act, where to report and how to collaborate in combating fires, which have increased significantly over the last year. In 2024 alone, the state recorded 4,973 fire outbreaks, the highest number since monitoring began in 1998. These fires affected 3,837 properties in 144 municipalities in São Paulo, causing more than R$1 billion in losses to agriculture, including losses in crops such as sugarcane, pastures, fruit farming, livestock and beekeeping.

Initially, the training was offered primarily to landowners participating in the Raízes Program and was subsequently extended to other Copaíba partners working on ecological restoration projects. Ana Paula Balderi, Ecological Restoration Coordinator at the Copaíba Environmental Association, emphasizes that the first edition of the course represents a step beyond the institution’s usual actions, given the scale of the problems of environmental fires in recent years. “With this training, we seek to train producers to reduce risks, react more safely and preserve their assets and the environment. The main objective is to promote, in the coming years, an ongoing training program, aligned with the seasonality of the fires, through partnerships with other groups from the Fire Department, city governments and environmental entities,” she emphasizes.

In the theoretical part, participants learned about the characteristics of fire, safety techniques, correct use of equipment and also received guidance on current legislation. Copaíba also highlighted the importance of forming communication groups between property owners from different neighborhoods, as a strategy to quickly contact the competent authorities in the event of a fire outbreak, strengthening the community support network.

The practice was carried out under the supervision of a specialized team and with adequate equipment to ensure the safety of the participants. They were able to experience the challenges of real combat in a pasture area, with steep terrain and wind, which required significant physical effort, faithfully simulating the conditions faced in real situations.

During the training, the group reflected on the various losses caused by the fires, which go beyond the economic losses to rural properties and also affect public assets, the health of the population, in addition to contributing to the overcrowding of hospitals and health centers, especially in periods of greater concentration of smoke from fires in pastures and forest fragments.

The Association expects that, through this initiative, property owners will remain connected, informed and ready to mobilize immediate support in emergency situations, strengthening fire prevention and response. To learn more about the course and future training activities, visit Copaíba's social media: @aacopaiba.

More about Copaiba

Created in 1999 by a group of friends who were concerned about the degradation of the Atlantic Forest in the municipality of Socorro-SP, the Copaíba Environmental Association is a non-profit organization, qualified as a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP) and which operates in 19 municipalities in the eastern region of the State of São Paulo and southern Minas Gerais. Currently, the association promotes ecological restoration projects and programs; production of native seedlings; environmental education initiatives and participation in public policies. In total, more than 4 million seedlings have been produced, more than 1 million trees have been planted involving 700 partner landowners, 809 hectares have been restored and 40 thousand participants have participated in Environmental Education experiences. Learn more at: https://copaiba.org.br/.