At the Assembly of the Republic, Paula Santos, the parliamentary leader of the PCP, stated that firefighters “have not received the recognition for their rights and working conditions” needed given the situations of “pressure, stress, and physical and emotional exhaustion” they face.
To address this issue, Paula Santos advocated for the recognition of the firefighting profession as one involving “risk and rapid burnout,” with the aim of “protecting those who protect and valuing those who are always present in difficult times” for the country.
In its draft law, the PCP proposes that, under the rapid burnout career statute, firefighters should be entitled to early retirement without any penalties, provided they have completed 30 years of service.
The retirement age would be set at 55 for firefighters engaged in operational roles, 60 for those in “technical, leadership, and support” roles, and 65 for commanders.
In addition to early retirement, the PCP suggests imposing maximum total working hour limits and increasing vacation days to 25 days.
The parliamentary leader of the PCP also noted that firefighters would be entitled to receive an “arduousness, unhealthiness, and risk” allowance, which would be a fixed amount paid entirely by the state.
Paula Santos recalled that this draft law by the PCP was approved in general in the Assembly of the Republic during the last legislature—with favorable votes from Chega, BE, PCP, Livre, and PAN, and abstentions from PSD, PS, IL, and CDS—and believes conditions are in place to meet the “demands of firefighters.”
The draft law “covers all firefighters in our country, aiming to ensure more rights, better working conditions, but above all, to value those who are always present to protect our population,” she said.
