The first fire company in Chile was formed on June 30, 1970 in Valparaíso. After that, the firefighters expanded and reached different parts of Chile, arriving in Melipilla on July 17, 1910. 

Hacia la medianoche del 15 de diciembre de 1850, en una cigarrería de la calle Cruz de Reyes en Valparaíso estalló un incendio que se propagó rápidamente a las casas colindantes. Los propios vecinos trataron de contener el fuego y el propio Intendente de la época, Almirante Manuel Blanco Encalada, participó en las tareas de salvamento, mientras el fuego arrasaba bodegas, casas y rancheríos. La ayuda de las bombas y la tripulación de dos barcos de guerra, uno francés y otro inglés, se sumaron a los esfuerzos de los moradores y del cuerpo de cívicos, especie de conscripción de la época. El siniestro logró ser sofocado al día siguiente. No obstante, cuando los combatientes se habían retirado durante la noche, el fuego reapareció, repitiéndose el trabajo de la noche anterior.

Al día siguiente del siniestro, el Diario El Mercurio informó la "necesidad de organizar de antemano el trabajo de los incendios", llamado que encontró eco en un grupo de connotados vecinos que se reunieron el 19 de diciembre en la sala de la Intendencia, presidida por Santiago Melo (subrogante del Intendente Manuel Blanco Encalada), donde los vecinos asistentes decidieron crear una comisión organizadora que propusiera medidas para combatir los incendios. Esta comisión, tuvo la función primera de solicitar los fondos necesarios a las autoridades, además de tomar algunas medidas preventivas para evitar los incendios, como lo era la limpieza de chimeneas y una mayor vigilancia policial.

Posteriormente, se incorporaron otros vecinos a las comisiones de organización y financiamiento; una estaba a cargo de formar definitivamente la organización de los bomberos voluntarios, y la otra estaba a cargo del financiamiento y la adquisición del material necesario para la creación de las primeras compañías.

Con el eficiente trabajo de los vecinos que conformaron las distintas comisiones, más el decidido apoyo de las autoridades locales, se convoca a una asamblea general: “Bomba de incendio: la comisión nombrada para organizar los Cuerpos Independientes de Bomberos, suplican a todos los que se han suscrito en algunas de las listas, como a los que sin estar suscritos, desean formar parte en la formación de los Cuerpos, se reúnan el miércoles próximo 30 de abril a las ocho de la noche en el teatro de La Victoria. Las listas se hallan en las casas de los comisionados Juan Brown, Eduardo Mickle, Otto Ude y Guillermo Miuller”.

Así rezaba el aviso publicado en el diario El Mercurio de Valparaíso, para convocar a la comunidad a la formación del que sería el Primer Cuerpo de Bomberos de Chile, que comenzó a operar oficialmente el 30 de Junio de ese año con cuatro compañías. 

Around midnight on December 15, 1850, a fire broke out in a cigar shop on Cruz de Reyes Street in Valparaíso that quickly spread to the neighboring houses. The neighbors themselves tried to contain the fire and the Intendant at the time, Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada, participated in the rescue tasks, while the fire destroyed warehouses, houses and ranches. The help of the bombs and the crew of two warships, one French and the other English, joined the efforts of the inhabitants and the civic corps, a kind of conscription of the time. The fire was extinguished the next day. However, when the fighters had withdrawn during the night, the fire reappeared, repeating the work of the previous night.

The day after the incident, the newspaper El Mercurio reported the "need to organize in advance the work of the fires", a call that found an echo in a group of well-known neighbors who met on December 19 in the hall of the Intendency, presided over by Santiago Melo (deputy mayor Manuel Blanco Encalada), where the attending neighbors decided to create an organizing committee to propose measures to fight the fires. This commission had the primary function of requesting the necessary funds from the authorities, in addition to taking some preventive measures to avoid fires, such as cleaning chimneys and greater police surveillance.

Later, other neighbors joined the organization and financing commissions; one was in charge of definitively forming the organization of the volunteer firefighters, and the other was in charge of financing and acquiring the necessary material for the creation of the first companies.

With the efficient work of the neighbors who made up the different commissions, plus the decisive support of the local authorities, a general assembly is convened: "Fire pump: the commission appointed to organize the Independent Fire Departments, beg all those who have subscribed to some of the lists, as well as those who are not subscribed,  wish to take part in the formation of the Corps, meet next Wednesday, April 30 at eight o'clock in the evening at the theater of La Victoria. The lists are in the homes of commissioners Juan Brown, Eduardo Mickle, Otto Ude and Guillermo Miuller."

This was the advertisement published in the newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso, to summon the community to the formation of what would be the First Fire Department of Chile, which officially began operating on June 30 of that year with four companies.

Historia - Bomberos  

Mainly, with state funds granted through the budget law.

Administration of the Melipilla Fire Department: 

The Fire Department that is at Serrano 591, acts as a headquarters for all the companies of the Province of Melipilla.

Resources:

Vehicles. 23 machines (water pump, rescue cars, mechanical ladders, among others), there are transport vans, there are logistics vans, there are command posts and we have different machines, water pumps, rescue cars, specialty hazardous material cars, there are ladder carts, there are escalators, of all kinds. There the fire department is subdivided, and thus the entire type of emergency is answered. 

Operation:

• State resources, municipalities, donations, own income (antennas, leases)

Proceeds: 

• Company discounts, medical care insurance for accidents, but no retirement for Firefighters.

Personnel: 

1. Volunteers. Work without pay, but with specific responsibilities and training.

2. Paid staff. Quartets, operators, and secretaries.

3. Inclusion. Women and people with disabilities are integrated. Example: A Firefighter with a prosthetic leg and an inclusive brigade with children.

• History: 

1. Creation. Valparaiso Fire Department founded after the fire of the Church of the Conception in the nineteenth century. 

2. Evolution. Historical divisions and modernization to improve response times.

• Admission Processes:

1. Filters. Admission processes twice a year, with medical evaluations, courses and tests.

2. Requirements. Compliance with internal regulations and procedures.

• National Structure:

1. National Council. It elects the national president who administers resources for all of Chile.

2. Elections. Democratic, every two years for positions such as the national president and superintendents.

The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) is a private law entity under the Ministry of Agriculture, whose main task is to administer Chile's forestry policy and promote the development of the sector.

"The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), as an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and a relevant actor within the National System for Disaster Prevention and Response (SINAPRED), is responsible for the prevention and combat of forest fires (DS No. 733/1982) and its actions, along with aligning its strategic and operational planning around the Public Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction Management (Law No. 21,364/2021). 

One of the main problems that CONAF has in preserving nature in Chile are fires, since they destroy a large number of hectares of green areas. To combat them, they have created various prevention and mitigation strategies, for example:

4th grade students from the San Sebastián de Melipilla School conducted an interview with two Melipilla Barracks; The third headquarters and the headquarters that is at Serrano 591.

According to data from the latest report of the System of Indicators and Standards of Urban Development (SIEDU), prepared by the National Council of Urban Development (CNDU) and the National Institute of Statistics (INE), more than 31 thousand people live in Melipilla in urban areas exposed to high recurrence of forest fires.

The report also located in these urban areas the strategic infrastructure of each city and that corresponds to that building where public utility facilities necessary for the recovery of normality after an earthquake or event of great magnitude operate and that must remain in operation during and after said catastrophe.

Of a total of 86 critical facilities in Melipilla located in urban areas exposed to high recurrence of forest fires, 54.6% are in places of risk, accounting for 37 educational establishments, 7 health establishments and 3 security and local government establishments. 

"The urban-rural interface is that area where human communities coexist with fire-prone vegetation cover. For example, a group of houses that is immediately next to a bush or forest plantation. Globally, it is in this space where fires cause a greater number of deaths and losses of homes and other constructions, so their identification and the evaluation of landscape management alternatives are of utmost importance for territorial planning policies" (Miranda et al, 2021).

The impact of forest fires depends on several factors, and urban-rural interface areas imply a greater risk as there are more human lives and material goods exposed. In addition, these risks are increased by increasing urbanization and by climate change, which has caused a change in weather conditions, affecting the probability, intensity and speed of spread of forest fires. 

According to the research, some of the factors identified that affect the probability of damage due to the fire are: the proximity of the house to the neighbors, the distance to the vegetation, the proximity to the boundary of the groups of homes and the distance from the origin of the fire. 

To do this, they carried out an analysis of seven cases of fires in central Chile: Melipilla, Cerro Rocuant in Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Limache, Laguna Verde, Quilpué and Rodelillo.

"In Chile, areas where human populations and plant ecosystems coexist are the ones with the highest risk of fire. These areas, called urban-rural interfaces, comprise about 5% of the national territory, but concentrate about 80% of the population and approximately 60% of the fires that occur in the country."