Bombeiros - Algarve .com - Fundraising Charity Events for the Algarve Bombeiros Firefighters

- 2002 to the present -

In 2002 alone, the Silves Bombeiros fought 112 fire-related incidents, attended 231 car accidents, 56 work accidents, 1,385 health emergencies and supported 127 events. They were called out 34 times to assist other fire departments, and in total worked for 3,283 hours.

In 2003, between July and September, there were over 100 fires in just the Monchique area - the two major fires destroyed approximately 48,000 hectares and with it many homes and lives. 1200 Portuguese Firemen from all parts of the country, plus Canadian and German Helicopter Crews, collaborated to bring the fires under control.

There are around 135 full-time firemen and women in the Silves area, including other areas such as Alcantarilha, Algoz and São Marcos de Serra. These fire-fighters share 30 fireproof jackets and only 50 helmets - there are no fireproof trousers at all. Also, they are lacking pumps to obtain water from the resevoirs in the countryside, and there is a great shortage of generators and vehicles to fight the fires. The department has only 15 ambulances, 6 fire-fighting trucks and two water tanks. The youngest of these vehicles is 9 years old and two have been in service over 20 years - one is currently out of service, in need of repairs amounting to €6,000.00!

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