Firefighting for cash

The wildfires rage on all over Portugal. The strangest part is how they start. Fires appear after midnight or in remote locations where nobody would go by accident.

Occasionally the authorities catch suspected arsonists. What are the consequences? None! They are usually released with a caution. I'm not usually in favour of citizens doing justice with their own hands, but here I could make an exception due to the arbitrary and grave threat caused to whole populations by the irresponsibility of a few.

More serious are allegations that the companies hired by the government to provide air support to the firemen have been seen setting fires. These companies invoice per hour flown, so for them the more fires the better. The annual flight time budget was exhausted at the end of July, but the government has no choice but to sign up for more time.

Perhaps this is an area where the government could show a tangible return on investment, buying planes and helicopters, training ground support personnel and providing an alternative for the pilots who leave the Air Force for better paid private sector jobs.

But such a scheme would not suit the private sector lobbyists nor the politicians that benefit from their attentions...