PCP asks for gratitude to firefighters so that there is no shortage of help

The PKP secretary-general on Monday said firefighters must be valued and respected or there will be a shortage of professionals to help the public, and vowed to reintroduce legislative initiatives to that end.

After meeting with the League of Portuguese Firefighters (LBP) at the PCP national headquarters in Lisbon, Paulo Raimundo stressed that the party has been “following the concerns of these professionals for many years,” which are “not new.”

“We have always made a commitment that, as part of this idea of ​​taking firefighters seriously, we are looking for solutions that address the most pressing problems, ranging from funding issues, career recognition and professionalization of firefighters, insurance issues,” he emphasized.

The General Secretary of the PKP emphasized that from a legislative point of view the party will strive to continue this commitment and emphasized that “95% of the assistance in Portugal is provided by firefighters.”

“Now, if 95% is done by firefighters, then we need to adequately create conditions so that these 95% continue to be responded to, because if we do not create conditions for this, there will be many people who will be left without conditions for help, and this is not maybe,” he emphasized.

When asked whether, at the time of its “invention,” the PKP was unable to implement its proposals for firefighters, it now hopes to achieve approval within the current parliamentary framework, Paulo Raimundo emphasized that “this is what exists.”

“We have no illusions about the government’s program and goals, and our idea is that we will have a government that will not solve any of the fundamental problems that firefighters also face,” he said.

However, Raimundo stressed that in the new parliamentary structure, the PCP will not refuse to make its proposals for the assessment of these professionals.

“And I would say that, given the situation with the firefighters and relief associations, it will be difficult for others to go back to what they did in the last legislature that failed our proposals. We urge others to have the courage to once again fail our proposals,” he said.

In turn, LBP President António Nuñez emphasized that the PCP “is one of the parties that over time has shown the greatest sensitivity to the problems of firefighters” and stressed that today’s meeting aims to convey three concerns to the league .

The first, he said, is due to firefighters’ lack of career status or remuneration, which he considers “unfair both from a social point of view and in terms of ensuring that fire departments themselves retain these professionals.”

“These are professionals who are ready to respond to the first line of emergency assistance and often leave due to lack of contractual conditions,” he emphasized.

On the other hand, António Nuñez also stressed that there is a “chronic underfunding” of humanitarian associations and stressed that the Ministry of Health owes “between 25 and 30 million euros” to various associations.

“We provide services first and then one day they will pay for those services, and firefighters never refuse to provide any of those services, whether they are emergency or not. And this is our shortcoming in the negotiations,” he said. .

Finally, the LBP leader mentioned that the third problem he identified was the lack of a national fire command, expressing regret that despite the introduction of a new state of forest fire preparedness on the 15th, it was still not possible to have ” firefighters.” under the command of firefighters.”

António Nuñez said he would have a meeting with the interior minister this afternoon to explain some of these issues, and stressed that he had already had a meeting with the health minister and the secretary of state, but hoped for another meeting. they will be “more thematic” in the next eight to ten days.