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DFEMS strike teams battling brush fires
More grass fires expected until early August
With brush fire season expected to last until late July or first week of August, the Department of Fire and Medical Emergency Services has created strike teams that will battle these annual scourges.
DFEMS Commissioner Claudio K. Norita said they expect brush fires to happen not only on Saipan but also on Tinian and Rota.
“Everyday our strike teams are on duty,” said Norita Tuesday.
DFEMS has been busy battling the brush fires that have been hitting the CNMI this summer. “I want to attribute that to heat, the temperature. If you look at our grass over the mountains and in the valleys, they are very dry. So we really appreciate the rain that is coming down,” he said.
Norita disclosed that by next week, by June 8 or 9, their brush fire truck for Tinian is coming in.
He said the truck was purchased using a community development block grant.
Norita advised the people to, among other things, get rid of dead wood and grass surrounding their homes.
DFEMS is coming out this week with educational posters and TV commercials on how to deal with grass fires.
For five days starting last Thursday, seven brush fires hit the CNMI,l mostly on Saipan, destroying several acres of vegetation. Fortunately, no one was injured and no house has gone up in flames.
