Preventing fires in ecosystems – State Emergency Service urges against burning dry vegetation

Burning dry vegetation is the main cause of fires in ecosystems, the number of which has increased significantly recently. That is why the State Emergency Service urges not to burn dry vegetation and to follow certain outdoor safety rules.

Anatolii Shkarbuta, Deputy Head of the Prevention Unit of the Fire Safety Office of the Emergencies Prevention Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, made this statement during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

“First of all, there is no need to burn dry vegetation. Environmentalists and agricultural workers recommend composting the remains of dry vegetation and thus using it as fertilizer. Additionally, many local communities offer centralized removal of such waste. Therefore, composting isn’t an option, it is necessary to contact the territorial communities to arrange transportation and ensure centralized removal and disposal of this waste,” explained the representative of the State Emergency Service.

In addition, the State Emergency Service urges people to refrain from visiting forests and open areas during the fire-risk period unless absolutely necessary. Such visits, in particular in a vehicle, pose a significant fire hazard, as the exhaust pipes can ignite dry grass.

Everyone must be careful while spending time outdoors.

Anatolii Shkarbuta also mentioned that upon witnessing a fire, the first priority is to call the fire and rescue service.

“This is the only way to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible and ensure that it does not spread. According to the statistics, the main cause of death arises when people themselves try to extinguish a fire that has gone out of control while burning dry vegetation. Unfortunately, a lot of the elderly people found themselves trapped by fire leading to injuries and fatalities. While most affected are elderly people, incidents also involve young people losing their lives in such fire incidents,” explained Anatolii Shkarbuta.

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