The barrier islands of the Ria Formosa are the scene of several incidents throughout the summer. To show the population how to provide help, the Captaincy of the Port of Olhão organized, this Friday, a simulacrum on the Ilha da Culatra, one of these islands. barrier.
"People have to know that these islands are a paradise, but they don't have the medical and emergency conditions that exist on land", confessed the captain of the Port of Olhão Nunes Ferreira.
On land, everything is ready.
After all the necessary material for the procedure has been placed, the boat «Ria Solidária» starts and heads towards Ilha da Culatra, where the alert was given. The procedure is fictitious, but everything is studied in detail and done as if it were real. In addition to the National Maritime Authority (ANM), INEM, the Civil Protection and the Red Cross also participate in the simulation. "We also want to show what coordination between various entities is in the medical evacuations of the barrier islands", explains Nunes Ferreira.
The boat “Aquila”, which carries the captain, also advances quickly and leaves its trail in the form of small waves. It stands at the foot of the “Ria Solidária” and stays there until it reaches Ilha da Culatra. On the horizon are seagulls and other boats.
In the Culatra area, Simão, which is faroland in the FaroXNUMX from Santa Maria and accepted to be the costume of this simulacrum, he is lying down, complaining of back pain. After literally jumping from the “Ria Solidária”, the INEM technician starts to ask him a series of questions, to demonstrate how to act in situations like this. Around us, curious people gather. “What's your name?”, “Can you hear me well?”, “Where exactly does it hurt?”. Simon is weakened, but responds calmly. A cervical vest is placed on the victim, who is quickly transported on a stretcher to the “Ria Solidária”.
“Our men have specific training on how to deal with people in cases like this. There is often a lot of panic and it is difficult to explain what is going on and to know how to deal with people», reveals the Captain of the Port of Olhão.
"Land in sight!"
After the assistance, it is time to return to the sea and return to the Captaincy of the Port of Olhão, where the simulacrum began. Upon arrival, the victim is transferred from the boat to the INEM ambulance, where he is assisted again. The simulation exercise is finished.
Although everything went well – and fast – in the simulacrum exercise, the emergency process takes, on average, 40 minutes. For Culatra Island, for example, the average time, just to arrive at the site, is already just 10 minutes. However, conditions such as tides or the existence of other vessels can delay evacuation. “There are people who do not understand how difficult it is to reach emergency points. It is necessary to make phone calls, while on land, and prepare everything to leave, in addition to what needs to be done later on site», says Nunes Ferreira. And he adds: "even more, this year we have had a lot of Southeast, which makes our work difficult."
This year, until the 26th of August, and according to AMN data, the captaincy of the Port of Olhão has already carried out 151 evacuations, 100 of which were made… during the bathing season. "I've never seen so many people on the barrier islands as this year!" confesses the commander. These are higher numbers than last year.
Even so, the two teams that Nunes Ferreira has at his disposal, one on standby for 30 minutes and the other on standby for 12 hours, are enough: «as we are in articulation with other entities, I don't feel the need to have more men», explains.
The most complicated situation experienced this year was on Armona Island. A 39-year-old woman, who could not swim, drowned and went into cardiac arrest for six minutes. “With the help of a couple of English doctors and with our quick intervention, we ended up being able to revive her”, says the commander.
“Fortunately, we still haven't had any casualties this year. Let's hope it goes on like this!”, he concluded.
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