At the start of a debate on Chega, PS, PCP, CDS-PP, BE, and PAN proposals to enhance firefighters, Chega’s parliamentary leader Pedro Pinto urged other parties to show courage in approving their initiatives. He argued that arsonists should be equated with terrorists and the firefighting profession should be recognized as high-risk and exhausting.
Pedro Pinto criticized the government for treating firefighters “as if they were disposable,” acknowledging their importance only during the summer, and accused the Minister of Internal Administration of being “unfit for the position.”
Shortly after, PSD’s parliamentary leader Hugo Soares remarked that Chega’s proposals are “much like bouncing checks: they promise a lot but deliver nothing.”
“Does Mr. Pedro Pinto know the cost of each proposal he presented here? Can he list the measures this government has already implemented for the firefighters and firefighting corporations in this country?” asked PSD deputy João Antunes, emphasizing that “passing isolated measures will not solve the fundamental problem” and that “lasting, stable, and forward-looking solutions” are necessary.
PS deputy André Rijo argued that it should be a “national goal” to seriously discuss issues such as ensuring “proper funding conditions for volunteer firefighter humanitarian associations” and advancing the “professionalization path of firefighters,” stating that this is what his party proposes in a resolution project brought to the debate.
“The PS’s stance in this important debate is as always: we present constructive and very concrete proposals and will not block initiatives aiming to improve funding conditions for humanitarian associations and valorize the role of firefighters in Portuguese society, as it is only fair to do so,” he stated.
