In the last three years, municipal support for the rescue forces in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão has increased by around 40 per cent.
Last year alone, the municipality led by Mário Passos channelled more than 600,000 euros to the municipality's three fire brigades - Bombeiros Voluntários de Famalicão, Bombeiros Voluntários Famalicenses and Bombeiros Voluntários de Riba de Ave - and the Ribeirão branch of the Portuguese Red Cross, in order to ensure an effective, permanent and swift rescue response to the population.
The lion's share of the municipal support granted last year went towards the operation of the 9 Permanent Intervention Teams (EIP) in the area - three for each organisation - which absorbed around 314 thousand euros. The rest was channelled into the usual quarterly support granted to the municipality's rescue forces, which together corresponded to a total investment of 282 thousand euros. More than 15,000 euros were also allocated to provide meals for the intervention teams fighting the forest fires.
"They are our front line in terms of first aid, preventing and fighting fires and other disasters, among so many other services to the population that, without them, we would feel our security and tranquillity would be severely shaken," emphasised the Mayor, Mário Passos.
"It's a financial effort by the municipality that strengthens the daily activity of the organisations so that they can focus on the most important thing: protecting human life," he adds.
This was, in fact, one of the subjects under analysis at the executive meeting on February 22. The local council approved the first instalment of the annual support given to the three fire brigades in the municipality and the Ribeirão branch of the Portuguese Red Cross, amounting to 78 thousand euros.