"Sentinels of the Fires": Volunteers in Sicily Prevent Fires

At six in the morning, when the sun has yet to climb the hills of the Climiti Mountains, Salvo has already put on his hiking boots. He is fifty-eight years old, he cultivates olive trees and vineyards in the district just outside Melilli, in the province of Syracuse, and, from June to September, he dedicates a few hours almost every day to being a “fire sentry”.

He's not a firefighter. He's not a policeman. He's one of those who know every bend in the road, every dry stone wall, every ancient carob tree. He can distinguish the smoke from wood from that of plastic. He knows that a fire isn't announced by flames, but by the sudden silence of birds and that acrid smell the wind carries long before you can see it.

His day always begins the same way. A quick coffee at the café in the square, a greeting to the retirees sitting on the benches, and then off, along the dirt roads that wind through the olive groves. The scent of wild thyme and dry earth wafts through the window. To the right, the citrus groves sparkle; further down, towards the sea, the chimneys of the industrial complex can be glimpsed.

When he notices something unusual, Salvo doesn't act like a hero. He stops, picks up his phone, He calls the fire department and precisely indicates the district, the access point, and the wind direction. He knows that every minute gained can prevent a small fire from becoming a fire front.

Salvo is part of the association AST Melilli It has organized a network of citizens, primarily small-scale local farmers, who volunteer to act as "fire watchmen" during the fire season. As soon as they detect fires or high-risk situations in an area dominated by olive, citrus, and almond trees, the watchmen report them to law enforcement and the relevant authorities—the Fire Department, the Forestry Corps, and the Civil Protection Department—to put a stop to the blazes before they become devastating.

The sentinels also monitor and guard the land, collaborating with local small landowners to prevent fires. These fires, which occur here during the summer, come from two sources: drought and tropical temperatures, but above all, the destructive hand of man, armed with the goals of blackmail or revenge for some perceived wrong. 

In case of fire in the Melilli area, the association's volunteers can:

• to guard the territory and promptly report new outbreaks;
• support the evacuation of risk areas;
• assist the affected population;
• provide logistical support to rescuers (water, meals, tents, transport, communications);
• participate in remediation activities and monitoring after the shutdown, always under the coordination of the Civil Protection and the competent authorities.

On average, nearly 4 forest fires occur in Sicily every summer, and a good portion of these occur in the province of Syracuse. 

Read also:

• How to prevent forest fires
• How to care for forests to prevent fires