Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 24^th July 2024

A very busy day yesterday as far as rural fires are concerned, with at least four fires classified as a “significant occurrences” by the ANEPC. Central areas of the mainland were the main areas affected, particularly Leiria District. At one stage there were nearly 900 operatives deployed (Civil Protection, Bombeiros, GNR and municipal resources, and up to 14 aircraft.

One again firefighting aircraft proved their worth, as one of the fires in the Andreus area, in the municipality of Leiria, posed a major challenge, due to the difficulty in accessing land resources to get close to the flames to fight them. A civil commander spokesperson said “We are fighting this fire only with aerial resources, because land resources cannot reach it, which worries us”

This is not as uncommon as it sounds. When I visit Pedrogrão Grande a few days ago with my colleague Fernanda, we saw many dense forests mainly of eucalyptus trees on steep hills which would be virtually impossible to fight any fire by land resources. When you factor in moderate/high winds, which can change direction and speed frequently, a situation often found in hilly conditions, this gives idea of the challenges involved.

The signs are that the level of fire risk which we have seen in the last two weeks is set to continue. The level is would say average for the summer, with the main high risk areas being the Algarve, Centre and parts of north east. As we have said many times before, it is very important if you are living in rural areas to be prepared, by having an emergency kit in case of evacuation and a plan of what to do should a fire approach your home. Fires can travel at great speed and intensity, so being prepared is very important.

We emphasise once again the importance of checking the daily weather reports and fire risk and Fire Weather Index (FWI) so that you are aware of the conditions in your area as well as areas that you may be visiting. With the holiday season many will be visiting areas of the Portuguese mainland which are prone to fires, so it is best to familiarize your self should a fire break out. This is particularly important in isolated areas. Ensure your mobile phone is kept fully charged.

If you have visitors staying with you, ensure that they are informed about the fire risk in your area in case they are planning to undertake countryside walks for instance. Be aware of the high temperatures sometimes over 40C. Those from overseas, used to cooler climates, should take care and the golden rule is not to hike alone in the extreme high temperature conditions, when high temperature warnings are in place. Early morning is a safer time and ensure others know exactly which route you are taking and how long it will be before returning. Common sense really, but sometimes overlooked.

On the issue of preparation, we thank all of those who participated in the “Preparedness for common natural hazards in Portugal” survey which we launched in March this year. We thank Kirsten Cooke a volunteer with Safe Communities for all her work based on her professional experience in this subject. Over 700 people participated which is a great result and we will be publishing the results shortly.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe week ahead.

News

CP suspends strike scheduled for this Wednesday

The CP – Comboios de Portugal strike, scheduled for this Wednesday (24) has been suspended due to an agreement with workers. According to the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (Fectrans), the agreement established between the 12 unions and the railway transport company foresees the return to negotiations in the last week of September.

“Under the terms of the agreement, all salary indexes will be updated by a further 1.5% from 1 August 2024 and the value of the meal allowance will rise to 9.20 euros”, can be read in a statement published by the Federation of Transport and Communications Trade Unions (Fectrans).

The union structures that went on strike on Monday and had planned another day of strike for Wednesday stated, in the joint statement, that it was assumed in this agreement “that the new professional categories resulting from the merger of current categories are voluntary and that they will remain in place with the guarantee of career progression and the same functions”.

The union structures also highlighted that CP’s management “agreed to implement the agreement of May 29, 2023, unifying the annual productivity and review bonuses, for the same value as the driving career bonus, with effect from August 1 of this year, with the next payment in February 2025”.

The agreement also provides, without “prejudice to the application of what has now been agreed” , that from the last week of September “negotiations will be resumed”, with the aim of “reviewing the salary scales”, “agreeing with the trade unions on the transition rules for the new salary scales” and “continuing to agree on the functional contents of the careers/categories in which the need for continued discussion was identified”, they also stressed. 

Knowledge Pavilion celebrates its anniversary and has already been visited by 5.6 million people

Lisbon, 24 July 2025 (Lusa) – The Pavilhão do Conhecimento, which has already revealed the “secret life” of the intestines and shown the science behind aviation, has been visited by 5.6 million people since it opened its doors in Lisbon 25 years ago.

The data was released to Lusa by the “largest interactive science and technology center in the country” on the eve of its anniversary, which is celebrated on Thursday.Since July 25, 1999, the Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Centro Ciência Viva has received 5.6 million visitors, the majority of whom are Portuguese families.

Among foreign visitors, Brazilians and Spaniards stand out.

In 2023, the venue, which annually hosts exhibitions, recreational and educational activities and lectures, was visited by almost 300,000 people, around 37,000 more than the previous year.

The previous record for visitors was in 2002, the year in which the scientific and technological dissemination space received more than 272,500 people.

The first half of 2024 saw 171,500 visitors, with families leading the way, followed by schools and foreign tourists.

Located in Parque das Nações, the Pavilhão do Conhecimento inherited one of the emblematic buildings from Expo’98, the world exposition on the oceans.

Designed by architect Carrilho da Graça, the building then housed the Pavilhão do Conhecimento dos Mares, one of the most visited.

Its original name is based on the word “knowledge”, provided by the many exhibitions that the pavilion rents, produces or exports.

The most visited were, in 2004, “The Flight”, which showed the science and technology of aviation, in 2007 and 2008, “Knojo!”, which revealed the “indiscreet science” of the human body, in 2019 and 2020, “Pum!”, which exposed the “secret life” of the intestines, and, in 2022 and 2023, “Dinosaurs: The Return of the Giants”, which went back to the time when these animals inhabited the Earth.

In October, the Pavilhão do Conhecimento will have a new exhibition, “Science of Pixar”, which will be open until August next year and will reveal “the science of special effects” of characters from animated films produced by Disney/Pixar studios.

In total, there are 20 Ciência Viva Centers in Portugal.

The Pavilhão do Conhecimento, which is the headquarters of Ciência Viva – National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, is one of them, and the largest.

Its address is Largo José Mariano Gago, named after the physicist (1948-2015) who was Minister of Science (1995-2002 and 2005-2011) and today is immortalized in the name of the auditorium of the Centro Ciência Viva that he himself inaugurated in 1999.

On its anniversary, the Pavilhão do Conhecimento will have activities with free entry (entrance to the space is usually paid, at a price ranging from 9 to 14 euros) and prizes to be won, as many as the number of years the venue has been open to the public.