The President of the Regional Government announced on the island of Flores an investment of around 2.2 million Euros to provide regional fire departments with new ambulances and personal protective equipment for search and rescue operations.
Vasco Cordeiro spoke at the opening of the rehabilitation and expansion works of Santa Cruz das Flores Fire Station, an investment of nearly 700 thousand Euros that has ensured better safety, accessibility and operating conditions to support the population of Flores Island.
The Azorean Government will "invest about 700 thousand Euros to provide the regional fire brigades with individual protection equipment for search and rescue operations in collapsed structures," a fundamental area for the Region, added the President of Government.
In addition, there is a planned "investment of 1.5 million Euros in the acquisition of 30 new ambulances" for regional fire brigades, announced the President of the Government. On the occasion, he noted that these investments also "acknowledge the work of those who give practical expression to the mission of serving others," as is the case of volunteer firefighters.
After urging the awareness of all Azoreans for a "Civil Protection culture" as way of helping regional firefighters in their mission, Vasco Cordeiro highlighted the effort undertaken in the investment in fire stations
In addition to the remodelling and expansion of the facilities of the Santa Maria Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters, already completed, there are ongoing works in the fire station of the Lajes do Pico and the construction of the new fire stations of Povoação and Horta is due to start soon.
In the specific case of the works opened today, the level of protection of the current facilities was improved according to the different disaster scenarios. The intervention awarded priority status to the parking conditions of vehicles and the storage of intervention equipment in covered space, keeping them protected and permanently available.
Moreover, the works were intended to provide facilities with appropriate and efficient operating conditions to all those who use them on a daily basis, complying with functional requirements that have emerged over time.