The Firefighters of Portimão have, until the end of August, the recruitment deadline for 15 firefighters in a professional regime, «available to candidates between 18 and 30 years old with physical robustness, adequate psychological profile and sense of public service».
To this end, they opened an external competition procedure to admit Trainee Firefighters to fill vacancies in the permanent staff, namely in the Intervention Brigades on a professional basis.
Candidates must have completed compulsory schooling, and undergo a demanding selection process for admission to the specialized training course, through knowledge tests, practical physical activities, medical and psychotechnical tests and an interview.
«The objective is to ensure the capacity of trainees for a paid pedagogical path, lasting one year, with a view to being ready to carry out the missions entrusted to Firefighters», explains the Portimonian corporation.
The 15 best ranked in the final result of the different competitions will join the Portimão Fire Brigade, as Trainees, from next September, having access to «a differentiating and pioneering training package».
It is that, «in addition to all the syllabus foreseen for the Initial Firefighter Instruction Course and elementary training», the new firefighters will also be «qualified with the certified courses of rescue ambulance crew, survival, hazardous substances technician, search and rescue in collapsed structures, ditch rescue, emergency lifts, intervention in vehicles and infrastructures of new technologies, rescue/rescue with ropes, white water, shoring and clearing and lifeguard pain».
They are also qualified to "drive priority vehicles with specialized training in emergency driving techniques".
There will be more than 1500 hours of training that, as a result of the current protocols, are certified by the National School of Firefighters (ENB), by the Lisbon School of the Regiment of Sapadores Firefighters, by the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and other training entities of national and international reference in the area of emergency and civil protection.
Candidates who are not approved in the selection process, and provided that they successfully complete the skills assessment courses, namely: AED Basic Life Support/Operational Course and the training course on first and second intervention means within the scope of Fire Safety in Buildings, will obtain the inherent professional certification, free of charge.
During the internship period, in which the primary objective is to ensure qualifying training for the profession of Firefighter, candidates sign an employment contract and earn the national minimum wage, and are then repositioned in the category of 3rd Firefighter, after the end of the training process, to which are added holiday and Christmas allowances, food allowance and shift allowance, under the terms of the law.
The Portimão corporation stresses that, although this is «a usual practice in accessing the career of Firefighter Sapador, in Fire Brigades owned by the municipalities», there are «few situations in the country of the application of this methodology in Humanitarian Associations of Firefighters».
This program launched by the Portimonian Firefighters «is distinguished by access to a specialized training package that goes beyond the legal requirements for a professional Firefighter, giving direct access to the Special Rescue Group, a unit that brings together the differentiated valences for interventions in exceptional situations, namely serious accidents or catastrophes».
The campaign has the support of the Municipality of Portimão and will run over the next few weeks, through the calendar of activities that includes clarification sessions, public information actions, practical demonstrations and open fire days for potential people interested in developing the profession of Firefighter.
«This is a unique opportunity to integrate a pioneering project in an almost centenary institution, considered a national and international reference in the Integrated System of Protection and Relief Operations and whose public service is materialized under the motto “Doing Good without Looking Who”», conclude the Firefighters of Portimão.
Applications can be done by clicking here or in person, in one of the public service spaces of that corporation.
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