CAMAGÜEY.- The sighting of a column of smoke represented for the Redskins of North America an opportune signal in the communication of a victory or a defeat in combat. For a Ranger Corps like the one in Camagüey, a cluster of gray clouds, above a green area, means that victory will only be possible when they have completely reduced the fire.
“What I like the most about my job is the exact moment when I help put out the flames”, that's how Damarys Minguez Pérez defines her appreciation for the job she has held for 17 years. She is the second head of those in charge of protecting the green areas of our territory, who add about 124 troops, ready to operate, and about 110 eventual distributed by the municipalities of Sierra de Cubitas, Esmeralda, Camalote, Najasa and the capital city in its most.
Minguez Pérez says that thanks to the suggestions of a friend, she learned about this work and before she could have imagined, she became passionate about her work. "I adore safeguarding nature and I put all my effort into control, supervision and prophylactic missions that I carry out with my colleagues and the different factors of society."
When talking, she transmits the emotions of her experiences: “The adrenaline of being near the flames… you have to feel it in the moment to be able to know it. There is always danger. And I always prefer to be the first to go into claims. Now we are doing controlled burning on the plateau ”. She explains how this technique has helped reduce the fuel that feeds fires and has significantly reduced economic and environmental losses.
During this year the surroundings of San Felipe burned causing damages that amounted to more than one million pesos. In recent months, the aforementioned strategy by Damarys, and the early warning alert, has made it possible to reduce disasters by 99.1%, which is equivalent to about 11,060 pesos.
“In 2020, we were in the middle of a complicated occasion, in the Loma de los Tanques, and the bulldozer suddenly stopped working, a fundamental vehicle to weaken the catastrophe. So we had to make quick decisions so that the fire would overtake us and spread. If you do not act with speed, the air blows and the fire advances without measure and devours everything in its path. And sometimes you have to take risks, so that greater evils do not happen.
“Although I have been immersed in difficult situations, my physical integrity has never been compromised. At such times, everyone around me is male. And I know that people do not associate this task with a woman, because of the energy that is needed and the danger. We walk long distances, we sweat profusely, our boots get muddy, our hands get dirty, we reach the limits of our strength… however, despite the harshness it entails, they respect me. Experience and my willingness to face any difficult moment have been key to gaining the trust and admiration of those around me ”.
The 62nd anniversary of the Cuban Forest Guard Corps, which unites wills with companies such as Agroforestry, the State Forest Service and the Silvicultural Unit, is for Damarys the arrival of a cycle of new goals and yearnings: “Here I will continue to provide my services to preserving the environment until you reach retirement age. I know that on many occasions our work is somewhat anonymous, but we are aware that it influences the quality of life of Cubans "
With the purpose of congratulating the excellent results of this institution in the province and to commemorate the date, the work of several of its members was recognized on its premises. Among the faces of the congratulated, one could see that of Minguez Pérez, a female who has not learned to "play" with the danger of fire, but to master it to be useful to her homeland.
- Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez