Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 11^th January 2023

Good morning – With colder weather particularly in the north and centre of the country this is apt time to for a reminder of safety within the household in terms of fire prevention and carbon monoxide poisoning. It is an unfortunate fact that it is at night time when most deaths take place as we have seen from several fires that have taken place over the last 2-3 months.

ANEPC Have published a reminder regarding Carbon monoxide which is a toxic gas and dangerous, which results from deficient combustion, for example wood or coal, and can accumulate in confined spaces. Special vigilance is recommended at heights of intense cold, when appliances are most used and ventilation in the home tends to be lower.

Incorrectly installed, poorly maintained or poorly ventilated household appliances, such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers, are the most common causes of accidental exposure to carbon monoxide. Blocked flues and chimneys can stop carbon monoxide escaping, allowing it to reach dangerous levels or burning fuel in an enclosed or unventilated space a faulty boiler in an enclosed kitchen. Leaking seals on wood burning stove doors are another risk so check these regularly.

Most of these deaths are preventable so a reminder to: avoid sleeping near heating equipment; properly protect the fireplace so that it does not cause a household fire; move away furniture and do not dry your clothes in heaters; before bed or leaving home make sure you have put out wood and charcoal fires or turned off heating equipment in order to avoid possible fires and avoid overload – do not connect too many devices in the same outlet, especially high consumption.

Yesterday the Portuguese Federation of Benevolent Blood Donors (FEPODABES) warns of the need for urgent mobilization of blood donors in order to avoid a lack of blood in hospitals. The president of FEPODABES, Alberto Mota, reports that “groups A-, B-, O+ and O- worry us, because they are already reaching levels of some concern”. Apparently the association has received reports of some hospitals that are already reducing their activity, due to the decrease in donation. We posted yesterday more details about giving blood in Portugal. If you wish and able to give blood please locate and contact your closest donation centre.

A reminder concerning the thefts of olives. Yesterday the GNR, through the military of the Beja Territorial Command, detained six men and three women, for olive theft, on January 8, in the council of Aljustrel. If you have a sizable number of olive trees on your land we advise that you keep a lookout for anyone acting suspiciously in the vicinity and if so inform the GNR.

A reminder that traffic on the 25 de Abril Bridge is being affected by restrictions which started on Tuesday 10th January lasting until the 20th of January, between 21:00 and 07:00, due to maintenance works, according to Lusoponte. According to a statement from the concessionaire of the bridge that connects Lisbon to Almada (District of Setúbal), work will be carried out over 10 days to repave the road surface. Work will take place every working day so if you are driving to Lisbon bear in mind there will be delays during these periods.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe and happy week ahead

News

Portugal hosts European seminar on lessons learned from rural fires of 2022.

The European Commission and the Ministry of Internal Administration, through Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil are holding a seminar today and tomorrow in Lisbon to share lessons learned in combating rural fires from the 2022 fire season analysis.

This initiative is carried out in Portugal on a proposal by the Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, presented in September 2022 at the Council of Interior of the European Union (EU), where he emphasized the importance of strengthening European ability to respond to the fires ravaging the continent in a way which is more frequent and intense.

The seminar, which is attended by representatives from more than 30 countries, has three main objectives focused on rural fires: Response, Preparation and Prevention

At the Response level, the lessons identified in various rural fire fighting operations under the European Civil Protection Mechanism in 2022 will be discussed.

In the Preparedness plan, they will review measures put into practice to better manage rural fire risks and reduce their impacts.

In the matter of Prevention, the steps to better anticipate the occurrence of rural fires at the national and European level, based on best practices and future planning will be discussed.

At the opening of the seminar on the “Program of Lessons Learned from the Rural Fire Season 2022 of the European Civil Protection Mechanism”, it was attended by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, Minister José Luís Carneiro and Min Swedish civil defence force Carl-Oskar Bohlin via video conference and while representing the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Then there is a panel in which the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece Christos Stylianides and (via video conference) the Interior Ministers of the Czech Republic Vít Rakušan of Spain, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and General of France d Darmanin, Slovenian Defense Minister Marian Sarec, and the Minister of Civil Protection and Maritime Police of Italy, Nello Musumeci.

The seminar has the participation of the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar, the President of ANEPC, General Duarte da Costa, and the National Commander, André Fernandes.

Covid-19: outbreak in China should not have significant impact on Europe, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated today that the outbreak of cases of covid-19 in China will not have a significant impact on Europe because the variants that circulate there already exist on the European continent.

“The current rise in China is not expected to have a significant impact on the epidemiological situation of covid-19 in the European region,” said WHO regional director Hans Kluge at an online press conference. Kluge further urged European countries to take “proportionate and non-discriminatory” measures towards travellers from China.

Several countries, including Portugal, the United States, Japan, France and Germany, began to require negative tests for travellers from China and others advised against unnecessary trips to China. Last week, the European Union encouraged its member states to impose pre-flight screening in China, complementing the negative test with “random tests” upon arrival on European soil.

According to WHO, the 53 countries in the region that extends to Central Asia, thanks mainly to the high vaccination rate, are well protected to deal with covid.

“At the beginning of 2023, the region (…) really has a very good position. We have strong population protection, thanks in part to the waves of natural contagion that have occurred, but above all thanks to an excellent general adherence to vaccination” , said Catherine Smallwood, WHO Europe emergency manager. However, according to the organization, it is important to maintain a high level of vigilance.

“After three long years of the pandemic, when many countries are struggling with overstretched health systems, shortages of essential medicines and an exhausted health work force, we cannot afford to put more strain on our health systems,” Kluge emphasized.

“This threat could come from a worrying new variant, anywhere, anytime – including here in Europe and Central Asia. Based on lessons learned, we need to be able to anticipate, detect and react in time,” he added.

Mayor of Espinho detained by the Judicial Police

Porto, Jan 10, 2023 (Lusa) – The mayor of Espinho, Miguel Reis, was arrested today by the Judiciary Police (PJ), as part of an investigation into various economic crimes allegedly committed in the licensing of works, a source connected to Lusa told Lusa.

According to the same source, several businessmen were also arrested, some linked to the civil construction sector.

The operation was triggered during the morning of today and, at 12:30, it was still going on.

Miguel Reis was elected mayor of Espinho, Aveiro district, by the PS in the 2021 municipal elections, with 40.23% of the votes.

The architect has already been councilor in the chamber, member of the Parish Assembly of Anta, deputy in the Espinho Municipal Assembly, member of the PS District Assembly of Porto and of the national commission of the party.

Before taking office as mayor, Miguel Reis reconciled his political activity with teaching at the Professional School of Espinho, belonging to the Oliveira Martins group, and research in the areas of Governance of the Sea, Energy and Environment, New Ways of Living and Civil Protection.

He is currently president of the Espinho PS Council Political Commission, after being re-elected to the position in October 2022.

An official source from the chamber confirmed to Lusa, around 1 pm, that the searches were still ongoing.