The Electric Transmission Company, S.A. (Etesa) and the Meritorious Fire Department of the Republic of Panama (BCBRP) have launched the “No to burning” campaign, with the purpose of preventing the burning of herbs, which occurs in the Panamanian dry season.

The campaign was launched when 600 burning of grasslands are already reported so far this year.

According to statistics handled by the Panama Fire Department, since

ast year, there were 3,026 field burning events attended by the institution.

For Etesa, the importance of joining forces with the Meritorious Fire Department lies in the fact that many of these herbace burning practices occur in adjacent areas and even, very close to electric transmission towers, which poses a risk to the energy transmission system.

In addition, the burning of grasslands is a crime punishable Panama firefighters through line 103 and immediately reported to the competent authorities, such as the Justices of the Peace and National Police.

The most frequent causes of these cases of burning of grasslands are: the burning of garbage inside grasslands, uncontrolled burning for the cleaning of lots, improvisation of campfires in wooded areas or near electrical energy transmission systems, animal hunting and the misalting of aerosols.

As part of this campaign, Etesa and the BCBRP recommend the following preventive measures to citizens:

Build racks as a precautionary measure in controlled burns and with the respective permits,

** Do not throw matches or cigarettes on the side of routes where there are fields and pastures

** Report this type of crime to avoid consequences that may affect the electrical energy transmission system.