The General Directorate of Emergencies within the Government of the Canary Islands formally approved the Municipal Action Plan to Address the Risk of Forest Fire in El Rosario. This decision was taken during the Civil Protection and Emergency Response Commission meeting in the Canary Islands, chaired by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Cohesion Territorial and Water, Manuel Miranda. This constitutes a “unique document” for Tenerife, and it is only the second of its kind developed in the Canary Islands, following the one instituted for the municipality of El Paso (La Palma). Its primary aim is to enhance the efficiency of decision-making processes during emergencies of this nature, as reported in a press release by the Rosario City Council.

Escolásico Gil, the mayor of El Rosario who attended the commission alongside the Local Police’s sub-inspector, heralded the approval of this plan, stating that it “will equip us all to be better prepared for the threat of forest fires and ensure an effective response”.

Abel López, a Doctor of Geography and a member of the Disaster Risk Reduction chair, Resilient Cities from the University of La Laguna (ULL), contributed to the commission to outline the general principles of the new document. During his presentation, he elaborated that “this text can now be used to tackle the primary risk faced by the municipality, which is forest fires, attributed to changing climate conditions, an uptick in drought occurrences, and other external factors such as agricultural abandonment”.

The document facilitates swifter emergency management and promotes direct collaboration with the community. Additionally, it aligns with new regulations regarding civil protection and delineates various factors relevant to a forest fire emergency, including evacuation routes, the locations of shelters for both people and animals, and the specific identification of areas with heightened risk potential.

Present at the Civil Protection and Emergency Response Commission of the Canary Islands were other dignitaries, including the Deputy Minister of Emergencies and Water, Marcos Lorenzo, who commended the efforts made by the El Rosario City Council following the major forest fire incident in Tenerife that occurred in August 2023, alongside the Deputy Director of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands, Néstor Padrón.

Additional Initiatives

Escolásico Gil emphasised that this Plan complements other initiatives initiated “from the local level”, like the Municipal Ordinance aimed at cleaning, fencing, and securing lots and parcels within the municipality of El Rosario, which aims to streamline the maintenance of areas adjacent to the mountains.

The Municipal Action Plan Against the Risk of Forest Fire in El Rosario forms part of the ongoing efforts to update the Municipal Emergency Plan (PEMU), which is currently being developed by the writing team from the aforementioned university chair.