At CCT CONICET-CENPAT, on Friday night, a lecture entitled “Fire Science” was held, organized by the Puerto Madryn Volunteer Firefighters Association in cooperation with the Science Secretariat of Chubut Province.
The event commemorated the 30th anniversary of the tragic fire on January 21 that claimed the lives of 25 firefighters.
Guillermo Devos, the current Minister of Science, along with Héctor del Valle and Maria del Carmen Dentoni, shared the results of their scientific research in 1998, which examined the 1994 fire from a meteorological and environmental perspective.
Using data from sensors, radar and satellite images, they provided a detailed account of the factors that contributed to the event.
Next, Sergeant Alberto Alessio of the Fire Department narrated how this fire marked a before and after, reinforcing significant improvements in the approach to rural and frontage fires. The talk not only recalled the tragedy, but also highlighted the importance of integrating scientific, operational and technical knowledge into decision-making processes, with a clear impact on fire alarm systems in Argentina.
In conclusion, despite the high human cost, scientists and “operators”, the term firefighters use to refer to themselves, agree that changes in perspective towards this type of fire have subsequently saved lives, supported by statistics at the global level.
