121 Public Safety commands. The added areas are designed to improve response times and the capacity to cope with increasing risks. ANEPC hired more firefighters, added aerial assets (helicopters and airplanes), purchased fire engines, and equipped firefighters with more protective equipment. Penha looks at the wall maps to remember redrawn district lines that took effect in 2022: “There were 18 district commands and now there are 24 subregions, and each has a new name. It’s not an easy test to remember each one yet.” These are some of the only paper maps he looks at these days because ANEPC has undergone a digital transformation. Penha now uses advanced wildfire mapping technology, including an early warning system aided by satellite and radar data to quickly detect wildfires. Realtime maps—powered by GIS technology—provide a live operational view of every fire. Drones and helicopters populate maps with high-resolution images for up-to-theminute awareness of fire locations and behavior. Sharing Data, Seeing the Same Map After the 2017 fires, upgrading the decision support system was the top priority. “At that time, information flowed in a text system, and someone was always trying to put that information on a map,” Penha said. Now a shared map captures incidents and activity so regional, subregional, and local stakeholders can see current conditions. The civil protection authority, the National Guard, the Forestry Institute, local authorities, and more provide input and gain awareness through ArcGIS Online. Firefighters and the National Guard collect data on smartphones using ArcGIS Survey123. Helicopter crews use ArcGIS QuickCapture to gather images and make updates about fire behavior. “They can send important information to the fire analyst— the type and inclination of the smoke, the wind, the type of fuel,” Penha said. “The results were huge, not only for the flow of information but also our ability to predict the evolution of each fire.” The system provides a national overview along with a view of each subregion. It reports the events of the last few days, shows where fires are occurring, and tallies the energy released by each fire. Right now, on my screen, I have one fire with crews that have been dispatched, one where crews are working, one that has been contained, and one we’re watching,” Penha said. “I can keep an eye on each one. I can see how many men are there, how many trucks, how many aerial assets. —Alexandre Penha, operations deputy at ANEPC The map view integrates with other operational platforms, including weather predictions and dispatch centers. When a fire crew is sent to help, they know what to expect, and they can use the system to report their work. Later, administrative and financial details are added so all aspects of response can be assessed after each fire. Reducing Risk by Reducing Fuels One of the first laws to pass after the 2017 fires was a mandate that farmers must clear their fields after harvest. The National Guard maps each farmer’s preparations for the fire season. “National Guard teams go from field to field to collect data,” Penha said. “On the one hand, this work compels farmers to clean their fields. It also gives us an overview of what vegetation and fuels are present, so we know what to expect if fires occur.” Alexandre Penha at his desk.
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