The recent derailment of the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon on Wednesday resulted in 16 fatalities and 23 injuries. Fernando Curto praised the decision of the Lisbon City Council to suspend similar equipment for inspections but expressed regret that safety measures are often considered only post-incident.
Fernando Curto, president of the ANBP, advocated for a “regular and cyclic schedule” allowing firefighters and other entities to perform periodic inspections and monitoring of such locations.
He emphasized that “if this happens, the probability of risk is much lower,” and pointed out the lack of regular drills in the country to better prepare for crises.
“In our activities, I have told public entities that drills are necessary to test crisis response,” Curto remarked, noting that institutions often cite financial losses during drills as a deterrent. He called this mindset “anecdotal, sad, and regrettable” as these institutions should be actively coordinating such exercises.
Curto suggested that “all public and private organizations should collaborate with firefighters to establish a structure that allows for routine drills to assess risks.”
This approach, he asserted, “would certainly reduce risks, casualties, and damages.”
