The decision will be made by the Extraordinary National Council of the Portuguese Firefighters League (LBP), which is meeting today in Oleiros (Castelo Branco) with representatives from fire departments nationwide.
The president of the League indicated that the issue involves delays in payments from Local Health Units (ULS) to firefighters for non-urgent patient transportation. The situation is particularly severe in the Coimbra region’s ULS, which “owe significant amounts to firefighters.”
According to António Nunes, other delays pertain to services rendered in pre-hospital emergencies, with the INEM yet to settle payments to firefighters since May.
“The symbolic stoppage could merely serve as a warning about the dire financial situation many firefighter associations are experiencing, marked by a lack of income and rising obligations, particularly to the State, such as with the Social Security Tax (TSU),” stated António Nunes.
He elaborated that “the symbolic stoppage” will involve ambulances halting for two to three minutes to “draw public attention.”
The League’s president also noted that “several humanitarian associations are facing negative cash flow.”
The Extraordinary National Council meeting of the LBP also coincides with a period when fire departments are struggling with management issues due to hospital emergency closures caused by a shortage of healthcare professionals. Longer intervention times for each pre-hospital emergency require “more ambulances within firefighter corps to meet” all demands.
Since Friday, two ambulances have been enhancing responses to obstetric emergencies on the southern bank of the Tejo to ensure safety and rapid assistance to pregnant women during the summer. This response is expected to soon extend to the districts of Leiria, Aveiro, and Braga, according to the LBP.
