Fire prevention campaign under way for the Parc de Collserola
The City Police and the Barcelona Fire Service run a joint fire prevention operation every year to protect the parts of the Parc de Collserola which belong to the city, some 1,800 hectares in all. The work entails checking paths, tracks and access points to assess and improve the conditions in the mountains during the hottest months of the year.
The city’s police and rescue corps are starting their annual fire prevention campaign to ensure the mountain areas enter the hottest months of the year in optimum conditions. The number of visitors to the park goes up in the summer months and the risk of fire is at its highest.
The Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service (SPEIS) adapts and strengthens its operations to respond swiftly and efficiently to possible forest fires. In 2019 there were 13 fires, affecting 0.21 hectares of the Parc de Collserola corresponding to the municipality of Barcelona.
Prevention work by the Fire Service
Preventive tasks by the Barcelona Fire Service will be carried out in three basic areas of coverage for the Collserola mountain range, with daily routes conducted:
- Vallvidrera fire station: from the Forat del Vent peak to Santa Creu d’Olorda.
- Vall d’Hebron and Eixample fire stations: areas around the Carretera de les Aigües, the Carretera de Vallvidrera and the neighbourhoods on the northern slope of the tunnel.
- Sant Andreu fire station: around the Carretera Alta de les Roquetes, Torre Baró, the Carretera del Cementiri and Ciutat Meridiana.
Two types of ongoing action will be conducted during the summer:
- Daily reconnaissance: this includes checks on access points, fire hydrants and the state of tracks and paths.
- Preventive surveillance: activated in accordance with pre-established warnings based on wind speeds, humidity and average temperatures. When activated, units are mobilised, and fixed surveillance points set up during the hours when the risk of fire is highest.
Drills are also conducted in wooded areas and involve civilian representatives and operational corps such as the City Police, the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police), the Medical Emergencies System and the Catalan Fire Service.
The monitoring of weather indicators, temperature, wind and humidity is a fundamental part of the prevention protocol and is conducted by the Barcelona Fire Service in coordination with the Observatori Fabra and the Parc de Collserola Consortium.
Work by the City Police
During the summer months the City Police activate a special operation in the forest areas in the districts of Sarrià – Sant Gervasi, Horta-Guinardó and Nou Barris. The various territorial units operate day and night shifts with preventive patrols in the mountain neighbourhoods in these districts.
