General Kittipong Chaemsuwan, Commander of the 3rd Army Region has inspected the readiness of the 17 vulnerable areas in the North, including meeting over 500 volunteer firefighters who will be spending the coming four months combatting this annual scourge.
The kickoff today was to initially target the preparedness of seven mountain peaks, 19 vulnerable terrain and 12 large parcels of forests, checking them for their current condition and making sure that there will be enough resources to go in to combat fires, when they start.
The target, said General Kittipong is to have clear skies in Chiang Mai by the time Songkran new year arrives, with another target of reducing overall fires in highlands by 30% and in lowlands by 50%. Education, constant communication with communities and active participation in local activities will be key strategies.
He went on to say that he is concerned mostly about
