Colombia faced an unparalleled wave of forest fires during the first quarter of 2024. The situation derived from the decrease in rainfall, as well as the increase in temperatures that characterize the climatic phenomenon known as El Niño, affected 94,956 hectares, distributed in 29 of the country’s 32 departments, according to data the Colombian Military Forces’ General Command (CGFM) provided to Diálogo.
In late January, the Colombian government declared a “disaster and public calamity situation” to implement a special regulatory regime with an initial duration of one year. For their part, the entities in charge of risk management, which are part of the National Committee for Disaster Management, including the Military Forces, put their response capability to the test.
“The Colombian Military Forces deployed a joint, coordinated, and interinstitutional effort to mitigate the forest fires,” the CGFM told Diálogo. “The logistics included the deployment of troops, specialized equipment, and aircraft in various affected regions, with the Bambi bucket system [collapsible buckets that are loaded with water].”
Between January and March, the Colombian Military Forces provided support to civilian authorities in 14 of the 29 departments where fires broke out to extinguish 1,450 fires, according to the CGFM. This required the participation of 8,334 troops, 160 unified command posts, 523 support vehicles, 13 helicopters; two airplanes, 1,623 water discharges equivalent to almost 3 million liters and 3,475 liters of retardant liquid, and eight drone teams.
“In response to a request from the government of Colombia, the United States Agency for International Development [USAID] provided more than $1 million in essential firefighting equipment such as pumps, water tanks, hoses, hand tools, and personal protective equipment,” the U.S. Embassy in Colombia said. “Likewise, the U.S. Department of Defense donated personal protective equipment to various locations in Colombia.”
The South Carolina National Guard, Colombia’s partner through the State Partnership Program, sent four Bambi buckets to support firefighting. Guacamaya helicopters that were donated by the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs [INL] flew dozens of missions to fight the fires, the U.S. Embassy said. “In addition to the helicopters, INL has provided more than $1 million in flight time since the crisis began.”
“In this effort, the U.S. government, through U.S. Southern Command’s mission in Colombia, contributed with more than $256,000 in personal protective gear and tools for forest fire response, as well as Bambi bucket equipment for support,” the CGFM said. Likewise, countries such as Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil supported the work of the Colombian Military Forces with material and equipment.
As part of preparations to deal with emergencies such as these, the Colombian Military Forces carried out trainings that included natural disaster response drills, fire extinguishing techniques, and basic fire control and forest brigade courses, the CGFM said. “To date we are working with the U.S. government through the bilateral meeting through which we signed agreements to strengthen the capabilities of the Military Forces in disaster risk management.”
“The mitigation of forest fires continues with the participation of the Colombian Military Forces, through the implementation of prevention, monitoring, and rapid response strategies,” the CGFM concluded. “We are strengthening ties of cooperation with other institutions and partner nations to effectively face future environmental emergencies.”