The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 29th May 2024
by Mike Evans
We start this report with the news that across the whole of Portugal there have been 49 drownings so far this year. As we move into summer we can expect this number to increase as people still do not seem to take the issue of bathing seriously. In April, The president of the Portuguese Federation of Lifeguards (FEPONS) defended that the bathing season “cannot be restricted to summer only” and advocated an increase in water safety education.
Alexandre Tadeia reacted in this way to the various drowning situations recorded during one weekend on Portuguese beaches, which led the National Maritime Authority to carry out 249 rescues over three days, with three people subsequently drowning. According to Alexandre Tadeia, “The first measure that must be taken is that the bathing season cannot be restricted to just the summer, it has to be much more dynamic, just like the fire season. It has to be all year round because we use the beaches all year round”. Alexandre Tadeia realised a long time ago that, “with climate change, there would be periods of heat outside what is normal” and recalled that, in 2020, through a study, FEPONS managed to “correlate the rise in temperature with deaths by drowning.”
“This means that, when the temperature rises, deaths increase as well. Now, when we saw the predictions of heat waves, it is obvious that we saw them with scepticism, because obviously the beaches are not monitored and this is perhaps the first measure that should be taken”, he stated.
We recently ran a post on our Facebook page which highlighted again the danger of rip currents and the response was amazing and we reached over 620,000 people which shows that people are concerned and it is good to see that one of our local councils, Lagos, The “Surf & Rescue” project takes place for the first time in Lagos , through training, on May 29th, at Porto de Mós Beach, combining surfing and water rescue.
This action is developed in partnership between the Portuguese Surf Schools Association and the Shipwreck Aid Institute, with the common objective of saving lives.
Within the scope of the project, training is provided, from the north to the south of the country, with a theoretical and practical component aimed at surfers, surf school coaches and lifeguards who, over the course of seven hours of training, will be equipped with skills to help drowning victims and how to act in situations where they may be in danger. At the same time, the training grants participants 1.4 credit units to revalidate the Professional Title of Sports Coach, issued by the IPDJ (Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth). Let’s hope that more councils take up this initiative in the future.
Now a look at what has been happening across the Algarve in the past week.
Food Bank Collects over 100 tons of food
The Algarve Food Bank Against Hunger collected 113.16 tonnes, in its latest solidarity campaign to collect food from supermarkets, held this weekend. A total of 113.16 tonnes of food were collected from 110 commercial areas and two warehouses.
As in previous years, the food raised will begin to be distributed this week to 128 charitable institutions. Around 19,751 people with proven food needs will receive hampers or prepared meals.
3 Men arrested for Robbery in Albufeira remanded in custody.
The Public Prosecutor of the second section of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action of Portimão ( DIAP ) presented three men to court, on May 22, for the first judicial interrogation, after their arrest. The 20-year-old and two 24-year-old detainees are heavily accused of robbery crimes.
The events occurred in May this year, in Portimão. On two separate occasions, one of the men took the cell phones of two victims, who were walking on the street, and escaped in a car where the other two detainees were.
Subsequently, the defendants accessed the “Revolut” card that was installed on one of the cell phones they seized and made two bank transfers to an account belonging to one of the detainees; respectively, worth €900.00 and €950.00. The Public Prosecutor requested the preventive detention of the three detainees, which was determined by the Criminal Investigation Judge.
The investigation was carried out by the Albufeira territorial detachment of the National Republican Guard.
Woman injured after being run over in VRSA
A woman was injured this Thursday, May 23rd, following a collision in Bairro do Matadouro, in Vila Real de Santo António.
From what JA was able to determine, the victim was immobilised by the Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim Fire Department and was transported to a hospital unit.
There were nine operatives at the scene of the incident, assisted by three vehicles. The GNR took charge of the incident.
Two new teams reinforce fire fighting service in the region
The Algarve will have another permanent intervention team and another of Forestry Sappers in the Special Rural Fire Fighting Device (DECIR) of 2024, which also increases compensation for firefighters, Civil Protection announced today.
These are the “significant changes” planned for 2024 by the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command , which highlighted in a statement the contribution of the new permanent intervention team for the district of Faro, which brings the number of these teams in the region to 36, compared to 2023.
The Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPCA) also highlighted that the rural firefighting device will this year include the addition of a team of Forestry Sappers, which will be “operationalized in the municipality of Silves”. It is also planned to increase the compensation awarded to firefighters who join DECIR by 6.10 euros, with the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) supporting an additional 3.10 euros and the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) 3, 00 euros, he quantified.
“Surveillance and inspection actions will also be brought forward in areas historically most vulnerable to rural fires” and means of initial attack and/or expanded attack will be pre-positioned” in strategic pre-positioning locations, in addition to “another firefighting group being constituted ”.
For the initial attack, an “initial dispatch will be made, within two minutes after the alert, in triangulation of ground combat resources, coming from the three fire departments closest to the identified location, combining three firefighting teams from the aforementioned units and a logistical team to support the fire department’s combat with primary responsibility for action in the respective area of activity”. CREPCA indicated that “the closest initial attack aerial means and respective heli transport team will also be activated simultaneously, if available, or, whenever the fire is located in a priority parish, or even, in areas of high danger, The two closest initial attack air assets will be dispatched, for combined intervention by more than one initial attack air asset.”
“At the same time, the GNR’s forestry information maintenance and exploration team, permanently in the CREPC’s SALOC [joint operations room], uses the means and teams of the surveillance, detection and first intervention device that operate in the respective area where they are located. develops the incident”, said Civil Protection.
CREPCA added that, “given that, in recent years, as a result of a continuous process of lessons learned, the measures implemented have proven to be fruitful”, the option for DECIR 2024 was to focus on “consolidating temporary parking bases for means of combat in strategic locations, with high danger of rural fire, for pre-positioning and logistical support of immediate reinforcement units”.
Two firefighting brigades will be pre-positioned, one in the windward (west) and the other in the leeward (east), and two firefighting groups from the Algarve Fire Brigade and the extended attack company of the Emergency Protection Unit will be mobilised. Help (UEPS) from GNR.
The device continues to have two reconnaissance and situation assessment teams at regional level, operated by the Fire Department, at the request of the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC).
It also integrates the 16 teams for reconnaissance and assessment of the situation in forest fires at municipal level, coordinated by the respective Municipal Civil Protection Services and with a tactical team for engaging track machines operated by firefighters qualified for the purpose, which will be reinforced this year.
The emphasis will also continue to be placed on “the close relationship with Parish Councils in the most vulnerable areas,” he concluded.
And finally, to end this report we bring you the news of the celebrations that will happen in Portimao which celebrates its 100th Anniversary as a city.
Marches, art and gastronomy mark Portimão’s centenary
Next month, the city’s 100th anniversary celebrations continue with a range of activities for everyone.
The city of Portimão will have a diverse program of activities, as part of the city’s centenary, next June, with emphasis on popular marches and “three innovative projects that invite everyone to leave their mark on art, gastronomy and in music”, highlights the municipality in a statement.
The theme “100 Years of the City” will inspire the Popular Marches, whose common identity and creativity will be highlighted in five parades, with the participation of more than a thousand people.
On the 1st of June, at 10pm, the Portimão Arena begins the 23rd edition of the Popular Marches, with the first parade. After this initial event, they will march, always starting at 10pm, in the following order: June 7th – football field at the Mexilhoeira Grande Sports Complex; June 14th – Alvor riverside area; June 16th – Montes de Alvor Sports Pavilion; June 21st – Praia da Rocha, next to the Santa Catarina Fortress; June 28th – Portimão riverside area, next to the Clube Naval, where the traditional apotheosis will take place.
The Santos Populares festivals will also return to Praça da República on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 28th of June, from 7pm to 1am, with various food and drink stalls operating in addition to the musical entertainment, run by cultural and playground.
Art and gastronomy
The month will also be marked by the projects “100 Years, 100 Sardines” and “100 Years, 100 Flavors”.
According to the municipality, “the urban art project “100 Years, 100 Sardines” highlights one of Portimão’s most iconic ex-libris and aims to select 50 proposals created by “Picasso” candidates, who must download the respective template here , where additional information can be consulted”.
After the submission process, the 50 chosen images will join the panel of fifty invited artists, including graphic designers, illustrators, tattoo artists, photographers, painters, etc., thus totaling one hundred small works of art, which could be explored by everyone, allowing through individual QR Codes to discover many historical curiosities about the municipality.
As for the “100 Years, 100 Flavours’ ‘ project, it challenges restaurants to sign up to a special itinerary, which will run from September 13th to October 13th, creating a dish worthy of this centenary celebration, in the Chef, Tasting and Sweet categories. Organised by the Teia de Impulsos association, the itinerary will have a solidarity aspect, through the purchase of a guide, at a unit price of 1.5 euros, the funds of which are intended to support non-profit institutions in the municipality.
Music as a unifying element
The “Musical Laboratories” project, which is part of the artistic program created by Lavrar o Mar – Cooperativa Cultural, will be presented on June 13th, starting at 6pm, at the Portimão Museum. Guitars, winds and voice are the components of the “Musical Laboratories”, aimed at professionals and amateurs in Portimão, from the age of 6, who wish to rediscover the pleasure of playing together, for which they must register in advance and free of charge by 21 of June.
Musicians Pedro Salvador, Johannes Krieger and Margarida Mestre will be the mentors and organise sessions between July and December.
Still in the musical component, the highlight is the recital “Cantigas Sefarditas em Homage to the Poet João Pinto Delgado”, which will take place from 9pm on June 15th at the Teatro Municipal de Portimão, with a performance by singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Eduardo Ramos , which will be accompanied by the Arabic lute. Theatrical project “This is my city and I want to live in it”
During the first fortnight of June, the artistic director of the Teatro do Vestido collective will be in Portimão carrying out intensive research, aiming for the presentation in December of the theatrical project “This is my city and I want to live in it – Portimão Edition”.
The solo dance show and new circus “Horizon”, initially scheduled for the 1st and 2nd of June, was postponed until an opportune date, due to the injury of the artist Chloé Moglia.
Air Force blows out 72 candles in Portimão
Finally, from June 29th to July 7th, the Portuguese Air Force will celebrate 72 years of service to the country, in Portimão through a series of events, including exhibitions, recreational activities, competitions, unique experiences such as flight baptisms, aerial displays , popular concerts by his band and, mainly, a military ceremony of great impact.
Until the next time, enjoy the sunshine but stay safe.