Tainá Andrade*
Women firefighters from different regions of the country met between December 8 and 10 to draw up the first Gender Action Plan for Prevfogo (the National Center for Preventing and Fighting Forest Fires) at Ibama (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). The initiative marks the institutionalization of equity policies within the agency. The meeting was supported by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), which applied the methodology for the diagnostic survey and led the construction of the final document.
Although Prevfogo had been carrying out specific actions related to the issue since 2014, such as adjustments to uniforms and adjustments to the physical selection tests for the position, there had never been a structured internal policy. The change began in 2024, with the creation of a working group to discuss the issue and propose advances. However, the need to move on to more in-depth and systematic plans was realized.
IPAM’s technical support brought methodology, professionalization and greater rigour to the process. Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director, stresses that fire management is based on the territory and that there has been a growing female presence in the brigades.
“IPAM has made an effort to work on various fronts with regard to fire management and integrated fire management. More and more we see women joining the brigades. It’s necessary to take gender into account, to understand what the challenges are and what we’re doing here. IPAM’s support for Prevfogo is so that we can have brigades that are more inclusive, cohesive and that focus on the main problem: having a fire-resilient landscape,” she explained.
Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director, makes a statement on the first day of the event about the importance of adjustments to the brigades’ field work. Credit: Juliana Caribe/IBAMA
Structuring the plan
The process was set up to be based on the reality of the professionals themselves. The first stage was to administer questionnaires to the Prevfogo teams. Both permanent and temporary firefighters of both genders took part. This data was compiled and presented only to the professionals present at the meeting. Divided into four pillars – identity, belonging, practices and rituals – they used the information to think together about contributions within each category, based on their experiences in the field.
It was a day dedicated to testimonies, generally tough and complex, about the work. The themes revolved around situations of harassment, humiliation, disrespect, lack of dialog and a feeling of not belonging. On the other hand, there was unanimity in the existence of a purpose in doing the job.
Prevfogo’s female civil servants, permanent and temporary firefighters met to share experiences and suggest changes within four pillars that will guide the gender action plan. Credit: Juliana Caribe/IBAMA
“In this first moment, we identified that we needed to make a diagnosis of how female firefighters see themselves in the workplace, in terms of working conditions, structure, but also in terms of harassment, how they feel, and also to have this meeting so that we could have the opportunity to talk, to be closer and to collectively build an action plan that could guide us. The intention is for us to have a document with subsidies, information, opinions, experiences of those who are working on the different fronts,” said Marina Senra, head of SEPI (Ibama’s Research and Interagency Service).
So far, one of the most sensitive points detected has been the need for clear institutional mechanisms for reporting moral and sexual harassment. Ane Alencar emphasizes that the concern is not just to include women in the brigades, but to create a safe space for them. “These are things that need to be adjusted if there is to be gender inclusion,” she added.
The plan should be distributed internally at Ibama. The document will guide actions and protocols aimed at the safety, inclusion and appreciation of women who work both in the field and in Prevfogo’s administrative areas.
*IPAM Communications Analyst
