Investment in fire stations amounts to about seven million Euros, announces Vasco Cordeiro
The President of the Government of the Azores opened today the expansion and renewal works of Santa Maria Fire Station, a work included in the cycle of investments that is underway in Civil Protection facilities that amounts to about seven million Euros.
"This is another investment in the area of Civil Protection, that is, in the safety of the Azoreans and in the protection of their assets, an invaluable value for the Government of the Azores," said Vasco Cordeiro at the beginning of the statutory visit to the island of Santa Maria.
Vasco Cordeiro pointed out that this commitment to the protection of the Azorean population represents a cycle of investment in this component. It includes the remodelling and expansion works of the fire stations of Santa Cruz das Flores and Lajes do Pico as well as the construction of new stations in the municipalities of Horta and Povoação.
"We are talking about a total investment that amounts to almost seven million Euros and aims to strengthen the conditions through which our firefighters have the appropriate infrastructures for their activity," said Vasco Cordeiro.
The works in the headquarters of Santa Maria Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters represent a commitment that was, thus, fulfilled, stressed the President of the Government. In this regard, he stressed that, under public investment and since 2013, the works concluded and ongoing on this island have reached an amount of 7 million Euros, besides other contracts works amounting to 4.5 million Euros in the process of being awarded. Overall, these interventions represent an investment over 11 million Euros.
This is the case of the fire station that was opened today as well as the sealing of the landfill, water supply to farms, housing and preservation of environmental heritage of Santa Maria, through the House of Fossils, among others, mentioned Vasco Cordeiro.
In his speech, the President of the Government added that the Government will invest up to half a million Euros in the acquisition of eight new ambulances for Azorean fire brigades as well as to reinforce the training provided to regional firefighters.
Since the beginning of the year, the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service has promoted nearly 40 training courses , such as rescue and extrication techniques, transport and rescue ambulance crews, wide-angle rescue and basic life support with external automatic defibrillation, among others, covering more than 400 firefighters from all the islands.
During this year, there are another 38 planned training courses that will cover about four hundred firefighters.
"We are pleased to note that all this financing effort ends up having a practical expression, not only in the readiness and in the way that Azorean firefighters render the service but also in various awards won by several fire brigades," said the government official.
In this context, Vasco Cordeiro recalled that, recently, the Ribeira Grande Volunteer Firefighters won the first prize in the National Manoeuvres Competition and, more recently, won the Gold Medal in Austria at the International Manoeuvres Competition.
"I leave here not only a specific tribute specifically to Ribeira Grande firefighters, but also the recognition for the work and the commitment of all the firefighters throughout our Region," said the President of the Government.