13 operational and five Fire Department vehicles Faro – Cruz Lusa participated in the fight against the flames in the municipality of Monchique and, despite one of the cars returning damaged, "there were no major problems to register" and "none of our firefighters was injured".
In a note sent to the newsrooms, Steven Sousa Piedade, president of the Humanitarian Association of Firefighters of Faro – Cruz Lusa, and Vítor Brito, operational commander of this corporation, offered “sincere thanks to all their volunteer firefighters, as well as to the peacekeepers of the many corporations in the country that fought the forest fire, in what was a highly complex operation ».
“One of our vehicles returned broken down, had a gearbox problem, but apart from the fatigue of our men and women, there were no major problems to register. Fortunately, none of our firefighters were injured. I'm sure everyone gave their best and that's why I want to thank you for your commitment to the common good. It was a very difficult mission, but they showed themselves to be able and made an important contribution to safeguarding people and goods», stresses Steven Sousa Piedade, who also expresses solidarity with the victims of this fire.
Regarding the way the operations were carried out, the president of the Humanitarian Association of Firefighters of Faro – Cruz Lusa considers that «Civil Protection and learned from what happened last year in Pedrógão Grande and followed the procedure of removing people before the fire approached, which in my opinion, was correct».
This fire marked the debut of the new Forest Tactical Tank Vehicle (VTTF), received by the corporation on June 23, equipment that results from an application submitted in 2017 to the Operational Program for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources (POSEUR) Portugal 2020.
The vehicle cost 180 euros, was financed in 80%, with the national component being reimbursed by the Municipality of Faro. On the ground, there was also the commander Vítor Brito, who took office on 14 May.
Regarding the future, Steven Sousa Piedade underlines the commitment of the Municipality of Faro to build a new barracks for the city's Firefighters. When the current one becomes vacant “we will be able, under a lending regime, to occupy this structure. However, if that does not happen, we are today in a position to move forward, by our own means, towards the construction of a new barracks. Ours no longer has the minimum operational conditions, which is why it is urgent to solve this problem, thus continuing the process of rebalancing the association's accounts».
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