Volunteer firefighter attacks bomb disposal worker in Lisbon. Workers’ union denounces climate of constant confrontation

Three professional firefighting bodies have called on Lisbon City Council to show firmness after a volunteer firefighter attacked the deputy chief of the bomb squad, condemning the climate of “confrontation” and “rapid intervention” that is harming the aid effort.

Both the Lisbon Municipality Workers’ Union (STML), which represents the employees of the Fire Regiment (RSB) integrated into the municipality, and the National Association of Professional Firefighters (ANBP) and the National Union of Professional Firefighters (SNBP), have denounced that the climate of constant confrontation and disrespect between the voluntary structures towards the professional firefighters of the Lisbon Municipality has been going on for several months, jeopardizing the provision of assistance in the city.

In a letter sent on Thursday to the President of the Chamber, with the knowledge of Civil Protection Councilor Angelo Pereira and the commander of the RSB, to whom Lusa had access, STML President Nuno Almeida asked Carlos Moedas for a meeting “with the utmost urgency” after the deputy chief of the bomb disposal unit “was brutally attacked last Monday by a member of the Campo de Ourique volunteer fire brigade.”

According to the union, in addition to “other episodes that have occurred in recent months”, this aggression – “regrettable and unprecedentedly serious” – is the result of “a climate that has existed for several years” of “clear institutional confrontation, impudence, arrogance and insubordination on the part of firefighters belonging to the various volunteer fire departments of Lisbon towards the RSB professionals.

“Even more seriously, this attitude of constant confrontation jeopardizes the effectiveness of the assistance that the RSB is obliged to provide to the city and the population of Lisbon, recalling negatively, for example, what happened last August with the fire on the A5 motorway (highway 5, connecting Lisbon with Cascais). More generally, there is a constant disregard for the directives and instructions of the Commander of the Assistance Operations (COS), which aggravates the expected scenarios of inability and ineffectiveness to help people … in the territory of the Lisbon municipality, with all the possible negative, dramatic or fatal consequences that could arise here,” he added, arguing that the municipality, “as the government of the city, must intervene to restore normality.”

The ANBP and SNBP also, in a statement, rejected the “rapid intervention” of some volunteer firefighters and said they did not understand the “public silence” of the Lisbon City Council, the Lisbon RSB Command and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) “in view of the repeated incidents of this type that have been directed against the regiment’s professionals in recent months.”

“The lack of respect shown by some volunteer fire brigades in Lisbon is due to the ineffectiveness of the current CML councillor. [Câmara Municipal de Lisboa] and ANEPC,” they believe.

Both organisations stressed that they had warned councillor Angelo Pereira and the RSB command “long ago” that the actions in the city of Lisbon were the responsibility and competence of its professional fire service, and that the relevant hierarchy was responsible for “commanding and coordinating all rescue operations at municipal or other levels when required.”

“The legal regime applicable to the creation, organization, operation and termination of fire departments in continental territory” determines that “if in the same municipality there is a professional or mixed fire department belonging to the municipality and one or more volunteer or mixed fire departments, departments belonging to humanitarian associations, the responsibility for the first action rests with the professional fire brigade or, if there is none, with the mixed fire brigade belonging to the municipality, without prejudice to any possible first intervention by any of the others in favor of the speed and readiness of assistance”, they emphasized.

Professional firefighting structures require a “quick clarification” of these skills, and although the Lisbon City Council and the RSB Command are taking the necessary measures with the volunteer firefighters of Campo de Ourique to “respect the law”.

The NANBP and the SNBP also intend to take measures on behalf of the municipality to initiate criminal proceedings against the attackers in the situation that occurred on Monday.

On Thursday, Lusa asked Lisbon City Council to clarify the measures the municipality is considering in response to the attack and to clarify the powers of the city’s fire command, but has not yet received a response.