Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 22nd February 2023
Good Morning – For those of you who visited the carnivals, either on Sunday or yesterday I hope you had an enjoyable time, with not too much dust around.
On Monday the Directorate-General for Health issued a health warning concerning poor air quality. with an increase in concentrations of inhalable particles of natural origin in the air affecting, namely, the regions of Alentejo, Algarve and the interior of the Centre Region. Thus, and as long as this phenomenon continues, DGS advised that the general population should limit outdoor physical activity and exposure to risk factors such as tobacco smoke and contact with irritating products with special precautions for children and those who are vulnerable.
Thankfully, at least on Tuesday afternoon the main effects of the Sahara dust which has been prominent over the last week were beginning to disperse.
On Monday a maritime-tourist vessel, with 36 people on board, including four children, sank following an entry of water on board while sailing about 600 meters from the coast, south of the Alfanzina Lighthouse, in the municipality of Lagoon. Thankfully resulting from a quick response by members of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão and the Lifeguard Station of Ferragudo as well as the assistance of several maritime-tourist vessels in the area everyone on board were rescued. Excellent work by the emergency services.
There was plenty of speculation on social media as to the cause of the incident, such as rough seas for example, but this will only be determined after an investigation, which will be undertaken as is the case for all maritime accidents of this nature. The sinking of a pleasure boat is however exceptionally unusual.
As we are coming towards the end of February, for those living in rural areas it is the time to start preparing for rural fires, something many of us in rural areas have to live with. Although as of today the number of fires so far this year is far lower than last year, we have a long way to go and now is the start preparation work to reduce their impact. We will be providing advice on this topic over the coming weeks, through our Facebook pages, our newsletter, KissFm radio and in the media.
Although this applies to all rural areas there are some at higher risk and for last year they can be found here. This list is updated by the ICNF annually and a new list is expected to be published soon. However, it is likely to be similar to last year with around one thousand parishes listed.
At this time of the year the most important action is to ensure your property around your property is cleaned to 50 metres from the building itself not from the perimeter wall/fence. This does not mean removing everything in-sight, but simply reducing vegetation to reduce the risk of a fire in the area reaching your home. Most importantly is to ensure that roof guttering’s are clear of leaves and that there are no overhanging trees! If so then now is the time to take action to reduce the risk.
It is important that neighbouring land, if within 50 metres of your house is also cleaned, so now is the time to have a friendly chat with your neighbour. In March checks will be undertaken by the GNR particularly in high risk areas so it is best to be prepared rather than leave to the last minute.
Also especially for those of you living in high risk areas, including areas previously affected by rural fires to have an action plan in place in the event of a fire, ensure you have an emergency kit in a handy place and the emergency contact list should you need to contact 112 in an emergency is prominently displayed. It can be downloaded here:
If you are letting a property, then sure that your clients are aware of these actions and if your area is part of the Safe Village – Safe People program they are aware of escape routes and assembly points in the event of a fire.
Monitoring weather conditions is vitally important as well as understanding the risk factors that dictate the potential intensity of fires. Having attended a meeting of an international gathering of the FirEUrisk program (which Safe Communities is a member of) a few days ago it was disturbing to seeing some the effects of fires during the extreme heatwave several European countries, including Portugal, experience last year. It is essential in such conditions fires are dealt with within the earliest stages as once they reach a certain intensity, conventional firefighting by using water hoses has little or no impact, as water evaporates before reaching the target – a sobering thought!
We will be creating more awareness on these topics in due course.
Our team wishes you a safe week ahead.
News
Important announcement for those visiting Spain
New system of alerting people in case of emergencies and catastrophes starts midnight tonight 21st February 2023
An issue we have been concerned about for some time is if you are travelling through Spain or a visitor to that country how would you be informed if there is a major emergency or catastrophe in the area where you are or planning to visit.
It is a matter which we have taken up directly with Spanish Mistry of Interior recently through a forum which we attend concerning rural fires.
Anyway we were informed today of the development effective midnight tonight which has been in the planning and pilot stages for some time.
The SPANISH SYSTEM
‘112 reverse’: your mobile will notify you in case of emergency or catastrophe
The system of warnings to the population in case of emergencies classified as ‘112 reverse’, will be operational from February 22 throughout the national territory.
The ES-Alert alert system , which allows general and immediate alert messages to be sent to mobile phones located in an area affected by an emergency or catastrophe, will enter service throughout Spain starting at midnight on Tuesday, February 21 (00:00 this Wednesday), for management from all the Emergency Centers of the autonomous communities and of Ceuta and Melilla.
WHAT IS ‘112 REVERSE’?
This system, integrated into the National Alert Network, is managed by the Ministry of the Interior through the National Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Centre (CENEM) of the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies.
“The activation of this procedure will allow a much faster and more effective response to particularly serious situations that may have a direct impact on the population,” say sources from the Ministry of the Interior.
Alerts will be sent automatically to all mobile phones in the affected area, a process known as ‘reverse 112’.
It is available anywhere in Spain with mobile phone coverage, be it 2G (GSM), 3G (UMTS), 4G (LTE) or 5G.
All state, regional or local public administrations that can contribute to the detection, monitoring and forecasting of threats of imminent danger to people and goods, will notify the situation to CENEM so that this body can generate a generalized and immediate alert in the area of risk.
The warning will make it easier for the population to protect themselves against phenomena such as floods, fires, adverse meteorological phenomena, volcanic or chemical accidents, among other emergencies.
COMMENT
It states ALL phone users so should include travellers as does SMS messages from the ANEPC in Portugal
Frontex agency starts training for future agents in Portugal
Lisbon, 21 Feb 2023 (Lusa) – Portugal will host starting yesterday, a training course by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) aimed at agents from several countries who will join the permanent staff of Frontex.
In a statement, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) refers that the Frontex agency, in conjunction with the AMN and with the support of the Portuguese Navy, today started the training program of the “Basic Training Program for the European Standing Corps Category 1” aimed at agents who will form part of the permanent staff of that European Union border control agency.
AMN mentions that the course will be taught at the Maritime Authority School, until November 19 of this year, by a team of trainers from Frontex and will have the participation of 50 students of different nationalities from the Schengen Area, including Portuguese students.
The AMN also indicates that, for the second consecutive year, Portugal is the country chosen to provide this training, “a proof of trust and recognition by the European authorities of Frontex and will constitute a significant challenge for the AMN and for the Navy, which will have the support of other national external entities”.