The congress, attended by over 700 participants, will discuss protests should the government fail to address the sector’s issues and adhere to its program commitments.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Minister of Internal Administration Maria Lúcia Amaral are attending the opening ceremony today, while the congress will be concluded on Sunday by Secretary of State for Civil Protection Rui Rocha.
LBP President António Nunes highlighted “a moment of great dissatisfaction” in the sector, emphasizing that “mere words from the government will not suffice to appease” firefighters.
Nunes mentioned 10 motions requiring government “clarification” on funding for humanitarian firefighter associations, the establishment of a firefighter career with corresponding compensation, and volunteer support.
Additionally, humanitarian associations have yet to receive this year’s payments for exceptional expenses incurred during rural fire fighting, with some corporations facing over 250,000 euros in extraordinary costs just in August, according to Nunes.
Extra expenses for firefighter corporations, including food, fuel, and damaged firefighting vehicles, are estimated at around 20 million euros this year.
Nunes recalled the government’s program, which stipulated expense payments within 30 days.
The LBP is contesting the State Budget’s projected 37 million euros for voluntary firefighter corporation funding next year, advocating a minimum transfer of 49.38 million euros to humanitarian associations.
The two-day congress, gathering command and management members from nationwide humanitarian associations, is held under the theme “congress of certainty,” justified by the LBP as “the certainty that the current state in the associations is intolerable and cannot continue.”
The league comprises the 436 humanitarian firefighter associations existing in the country.
