Firefighters Volunteer Mértola (BVM) There are 110 Days without the ambulance of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), that is stopped at the brand's dealer workshop in Beja, by damage to the engine and waiting for the budget to be approved.
INEM has not replaced the car and firefighters are using their ambulances to help populations and respond to activations through 112.
The vehicle entered the workshop on the day 12 November last year, having the budget, that round will 25.000 euros, has been sent to INEM, by the Directorate of the Humanitarian Association (AHBVM) of the mertolense volunteers to 17 of December.
For not having any answer, last day 20 January, the institution again sent a new craft to INEM where they regret, The fact that “approximately a month ago we await your order, but to date, Not a word, lamentably, we receive from your part ”, justify.
In the document that the Lidador News (LN) We had access, AHBVM managers remember that the damaged ambulance “is a car in the end of life, with a mileage of approximately 850.000 kilometers, spending most of the time in workshops ”, but they go further and point their finger at the Institute: “It wasn't our reserves, Our population would spend most of the time without access to relief ”, remembering that the municipality of Mértola is one of the largest in the country and with very dispersed populations, isolated and aged.
The president of INEM is remembered in the letter that in 2019 The institution reported its displeasure for being excluded from the attribution of new vehicles delivered this year. In September of that same year, in a letter signed by Luís Meira, The then Chairman of the Board of Directors, the information that in 2020 a new ambulance would be attributed, but, “After all these years we continue to wait for the arrival of this car, that apparently insists on not coming ”, accuse the firefighters.
Requiring INEM an urgent response about repair/replacement of the stoppage in the workshop, AHBVM's direction leaves a serious warning: “The non -resolution in the short term of this very serious problem, that has worn us for years, will lead us to take action, that we wouldn't like to start, But that we are ready to entail, If you have targeted forms ”, Remata.
JN questioned the president of INEM about the reasons that led to the non -approval of the budget and the replacement of the ambulance, but we have not been given any justifications.
PRR Fire Fighting Vehicles
The Mértola Corporation was one of those who received the first forest vehicles to fight firefighting (VFCI) delivered to corporations in the district of Beja, where the Odemira was included who on the day 1 of January this involved in a dispense that originated five injured, one of whom would die. When they received the vehicles, There were commanders of corporations who had “leaning” the vehicles with the express order of them being used “only in cases of extreme need”, In other words, Only go out into the field if there is no other firefighting vehicle available.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
