League: Volunteer firefighters abandon Civil Protection structure.
The League of Portuguese Firefighters decided today, in Santarém, “leave immediately” the structure of the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), a “radical cut” protest against laws on command structures approved by the Government.
The president of the League of Portuguese Firefighters (LBP), Jaime Marta Soares, told reporters that, immediately, firefighters leave to participate in the ANPC structure, “hearing nothing than say CODIS (operational district commanders)”, and at all events with representatives of this organization or government officials, may even “not participate in the system of forest fires”.
At issue are proposals adopted by the Government in 25 October in the civil protection area, with the greatest challenge centered on amendments to the organic law of the National Emergency Authority and Civil Protection, future name of the current ANPC, LBP claiming a national fire direction “independent and autonomous with its own budget”, an autonomous command of firefighters and the social card bombeiro.Marta Soares assured that this attitude of the firefighters will not jeopardize the safety and rescue of Portuguese, ensuring that they will continue to work “exactly the same”.
“We know organize ourselves in terms of commands, we had our operating areas, who withdrew us and that we have had enough to propose to be restored, which are fundamental tools for classification of a command structure”, He said at the end of a meeting held this morning at the National Exhibition Center, in Santarém, and whose decisions will be sufragadas a national congress.
Marta Soares said “it is time to say enough is enough” and that “never” Portuguese firefighters will “endure all that the various governments have been making”, in particular this, stressing that “yet unborn a prime minister” that challenges “the honor and dignity of Portuguese firefighters”.
Asked how it was possible to reach this point of rupture, LBP's leader delivered a response to the Government, ensuring that the League has “been contributing with a whole set of proposals, well-founded, well prepared”, what “they tore” creating “other structures that do not increase the effectiveness, increase costs”.
In addition to approving the creation of the national fire direction, “autonomous, independent, with its own budget”, and autonomous command, BPL requires the Government to put “immediately in the drawer intermunicipalização Portuguese firefighters” and challenges the establishment of the Agency for Integrated Rural Fires (AGIF), it considers to be “a sectarian lobby and corporatist structures of forests in Portugal, which effectively as bad results has given the country”.
According to Marta Soares, if the government does not back this set of diplomas and not listen to the League, is “it radicalized” their positions.”We are peacekeepers, we want to maintain this attitude, It is not 'slogan’ FTR does not Palava – 'life by life’ are feelings and convictions of fire -, but, if it is concerned, we are not afraid of making war who put our peace at issue”, stated.
Marta Soares, “there is no chance” a government to a reform of the civil protection “without its main partner, which is responsible for 98% bailout in Portugal, by your side”.
“The reforms are done for the sake of populations, They must be tested before being applied. Impose a reform before those who have to implement them on the ground without hearing, even as it is enshrined in law, It is a huge political mistake”, he stressed.
