These are the "significant changes" predicted for 2024 by the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, which highlighted in a statement the contribution of the new permanent intervention team for the district of Faro, which raises the number of these teams in the region to 36, compared to 2023. The Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPCA) also revealed that the rural fire fighting device will have an additional Forest Firefighting Team this year, which will be "operationalised in the municipality of Silves". It is also planned to increase the compensation given to firefighters who join DECIR by 6.10 euros, with the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) supporting an additional 3.10 euros and the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) 3.00 euros, it quantified. "Surveillance and inspection actions in areas historically more vulnerable to rural fires" will also be "brought forward" and initial attack and/or extended attack resources will be pre-positioned in strategic pre-positioning locations, in addition to "constituting another fire fighting group". For the initial attack, "initial dispatch, up to two minutes after the alert, will be made in triangulation of land combat resources, from the three fire departments closest to the identified location, combining three fire fighting teams from the aforementioned units and a logistical team to support the combat of the fire department with primary responsibility for acting in the respective area of operation". CREPCA indicated that "the nearest initial attack air resource and respective heli-transported team will also be activated simultaneously, if available, or, whenever the fire is located in a priority parish, or even in areas of high risk, the two nearest initial attack air resources will be dispatched, for combined intervention of more than one initial attack air resource". "In parallel, the resources and teams of the surveillance, detection and first intervention device that operate in the respective area where the occurrence develops are activated by the GNR's forest information maintenance and exploration team, permanently in the CREPC's SALOC [joint operations room]", Civil Protection also said. CREPCA added that, "given that, in recent years, as a result of a continuous process of lessons learned, the measures implemented have proven to be successful", the option for DECIR 2024 was to focus on "consolidating temporary parking bases for combat resources in strategic locations, with high risk of rural fire, for pre-positioning and logistical support of immediate reinforcement units". It listed two fire fighting brigades that will be pre-positioned, one in the west and another in the east, and two fire fighting groups from the Algarve Firefighters and the extended attack company of the GNR's Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPS) will be mobilised. The device continues to have two regional-level situation recognition and assessment teams, operationalised by the Firefighters, under the orders of the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC). It also includes the 16 municipal-level forest fire situation recognition and assessment teams, coordinated by the respective Municipal Civil Protection Services and with a tactical team for engaging tracked machines operationalised by firefighters qualified for this purpose, which will be reinforced this year. The emphasis will also continue to be placed "on the close relationship with the Parish Councils in the most vulnerable areas", it concluded. Read Also: Portuguese version of the opera 'The Little Prince' on stage on 1st and 2nd June (Portuguese version)