National Trauma and Extrication Championship in line with strategy to promote Azores destination
The Regional Secretary for Health stated in Praia da Vitória that the National Trauma and Extrication Championship is in line with the Regional Government's strategy for the national and international promotion of the Azores Destination.
"Events such as this reinforce the positioning of the Azorean islands, highlighting our sustainability, environmental and landscape characteristics," said Rui Luís, who spoke at the opening session of the National Trauma and Extrication Championship.
The government official stated that this event recognises the ideal conditions of the Azores for the organisation of different types of events, namely cultural and sporting, corporate or team building initiatives in the area of nature.
The National Trauma and Extrication Championship to be held in Praia da Vitória between May 17 and 19 will include the participation of sixteen trauma teams from various parts of the country, including four Azorean teams, and nine extrication teams.
The qualification of the teams according to the evaluation criteria set out by the World Rescue Organisation will select the winners to take part in the National Trauma and Extrication Championship, which takes place in France in September.
Rui Luís stressed the "unique opportunity" to assess the level of preparedness of firefighters in critical situations when it comes to saving lives.
The event is organised by the National Rescue and Extrication Association and by the Praia da Vitória Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters with the collaboration of the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service. For three days, this competition will involve the participation of 300 participants and is expected to mobilise more than 500 visitors.
The Regional Secretary pointed out that the Azores have all the conditions to host events of this size and scope, noting that the decision to organise this championship in the Region took into consideration its importance as a tourist destination and the results achieved by Azorean trauma teams.
"These initiatives demonstrate that the archipelago is consolidating its promotional efforts under the Meeting Industry product, which has led entities to recognise the specificities and the positive aspects of choosing the Azores as the venue of their most relevant initiatives," stressed the government official.
In the specific case of Terceira Island, Rui Luís mentioned several examples, such as the Technical Conferences of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agents, the 3rd edition of the Azores Triathlon and the Annual Conference of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council scheduled for December.
"We believe that after the organisation of a championship linked to the professional performance of a relevant occupation such as firefighting, carried out in a context conducive to concentration and competition, other equally important events will follow," stated the government official.