The Castro Marim Council has provided 100,000 euros of support to the Vila Real de St. António and Castro Marim Humanitarian Association of Voluntary Firefighters over this year.
After the annual established amount of 57,000 euros was reached, the municipality of Castro Marim has now reinforced this support with another 43,000 euros.
This complementarity support addresses the expenses inherent to the permanent relief service that the Voluntary Firefighters provide in the municipality of Castro Marim and the maintenance of the Emergency Medical Station in Azinhal.
According to the Voluntary Firefighters’ Humanitarian Association, these are services that require a permanent provision, both in terms of financial and human resources, and which represent an overall high economic effort, unmatched by typical state contributions.
It is worth pointing out that the Azinhal Emergency Medical Station represents an annual cost of 146,600 euros as well. A cost that is subsidised by the contribution which the association receives from INEM. "Based on the number of services provided in the municipality of Castro Marim in recent years, it is estimated that INEM will grant the Association around 45,600 euros," said the Voluntary Firefighters.
However, thanks to guaranteed necessary support from the Castro Marim Council, the Emergency Medical Station is today a reality for the Castromarinese population, especially for those in the interior of the territory, where there is a serious lack of accessibility to the provision of aid to those suffering from casualties or sudden illness.
Castro Marim Mayor Francisco Amaral highlights the importance of the Voluntary Firefighters’ work, both in fighting fires and providing relief, “since Castro Marim is the one of the few Portuguese municipalities without a proper fire station, and ironically one of the municipalities with the highest fire risk“.
