Government announces “symbolic repayment” for efforts between September 15-19
Portugal’s government has today announced a 25% increase in the daily rate paid to volunteer firefighters assigned to the Special Rural Firefighting Unit (DECIR) who fought wildfires between September 15-19 when the north and centre of the country suffered a major assault.
In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) said that the Secretary of State for Civil Protection “signed the order this week to increase the daily rate”, with the aim of “symbolically repaying the additional effort of volunteer firefighters assigned to DECIR”.
The order increases the daily rates paid by 25% – €67.30 and €78.30 respectively, depending on whether they are firefighters from the various teams or firefighters from the command staff.
According to MAI, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has been told to transfer the necessary amounts to fire stations “as soon as possible”.
Emphasising the “extraordinary commitment” of firefighters, the government says this is a “first sign, albeit symbolic”, of their recognition “as the backbone of Civil Protection” and of the work the executive is doing to ensure they feel valued.
“The Minister of Internal Affairs and the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, on behalf of the government, have made every effort, despite the well-known budgetary demands, to repay the extraordinary mobilisation that we have once again seen from the thousands of women and men volunteer firefighters assigned to DECIR”, reads the statement.
Recalling the “difficult and demanding period” earlier this month in which multiple fires burned across vast swathes of forest land with such intensity that help from the European Union was requested, the executive says surveys of the significant economic, social and human damage are still underway.
“All Civil Protection agents, and especially firefighters, have once again shown themselves to be true examples of resilience and commitment, in a context in which DECIR was placed under heavy pressure and maximum commitment of resources”, the statement adds.
Nine people died (four of them firefighters) and more than 170 were injured as a result of last week’s fires. The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority officially counted five deaths in the fires; the others followed as a consequence of injuries and/ or stress.
Between September 15 and 20 (in a year when otherwise forest wildfires were surprisingly few in number), fires consumed around 135,000 hectares, bringing the total area burnt in Portugal this year, in one fell swoop, to almost 147,000 hectares, the third largest of the last decade.
Many of these fires were started by ‘arsonists’ – a number of whom have already been identified and are behind bars, or subject to measures curtailing their freedoms.
Source: LUSA
