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Algarve to receive 4 new forest firefighting vehicles

ALGARVE TO RECEIVE 4 NEW FOREST FIREFIGHTING VEHICLESThe Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) announced yesterday that a much needed 81 forest firefighting vehicles in total will be distributed to fire brigades across Portugal, to the areas with the greatest need, allowing “a reinforcement of the operational response capacity”.

The final distribution list quotes 26 vehicles for the fire brigades in the North region, 25 for the Centre, eight for Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, 18 for the Alentejo and 4 for the Algarve.

The Ministry of Internal Administration states that “the capacity of the operational response of civil protection agents will be increased, through the distribution, via a lending contract to be signed with the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), of vehicles to number of firefighters located in territories where there is a greater lack of Forest Fire Fighting Vehicles (VFCI) and Forest Tactical Tank Vehicles (VTTF) in relation to the respective forest area”.

According to the statement from MAI, “The criteria adopted for the distribution of these vehicles are objective, measurable and verifiable, guaranteeing that the vehicles are allocated to fire departments with a real capacity to operate them and guaranteeing their distribution in the territories where, given the forest area in their charge, there is a more significant shortage of forest vehicles.”

According to MAI, the sum of 12.6 million euros was included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, within the scope of the MAIS Floresta Programme, for the acquisition of these forest firefighting vehicles, which will be operated by fire brigades.

“It is estimated that this amount will allow the acquisition of 81 forest vehicles – 59 VFCI and 22 VTTF – which represents the largest distribution of vehicles for responding to rural fires since 1980”, said the MAI.