🚒 Mação Volunteer Firefighters – General Description
The Mação Volunteer Firefighters are a humanitarian association dedicated to protecting people and property throughout the municipality of Mação, in the district of Santarém. The institution plays a central role in community safety, responding to fires, accidents, medical emergencies, and other civil protection situations.
📌 Foundation and History
- The association was founded on August 14, 1937, with formal statutes established in the same year. [agc.sg.mai.gov.pt]
- The Mação Fire Brigade is officially registered under code CB 1414, with its foundation date listed as November 22, 1937. [bombeiros.pt]
🏛️ Location and Contacts
🎯 Mission and Activities
The Mação Volunteer Firefighters perform several essential functions:
🔥 Firefighting
- They intervene in urban, industrial, and forest fires, integrated into the national system coordinated by the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection. [servicospublicos.pt]
🚑 Pre-Hospital Emergency Care
- They provide stabilization and transport of victims, operating ambulances in coordination with INEM, hospitals, and other emergency entities. [servicospublicos.pt]
🧯 Training and Awareness
- They conduct community training and awareness activities focused on risk prevention and accident reduction. [servicospublicos.pt]
📝 Technical Assessments
- They issue technical opinions in accordance with legislation regarding fire safety and other risks. [servicospublicos.pt]
🌊 Lifesaving Support
- They collaborate with the Maritime Rescue Institute for assistance in maritime and river rescue operations. [servicospublicos.pt]
🚒 Facilities
- In 2013, the long-awaited new fire station was inaugurated, after being desired for 20 years.
- The building was named in honor of commanders Manuel Gaudêncio Correia and Francisco José Lopes, in recognition of their contribution to the brigade’s development.
🚚 Equipment and Capabilities
- In recent years, the corporation received new forest firefighting vehicles (VFCI and VTTF), strengthening its operational capacity.
🌲 Operational Context
Mação is an area of high forest fire risk, having experienced major fires over the decades. The municipality is recognized for its good prevention and monitoring practices, including the Mac Fire real‑time fire monitoring system, though vulnerabilities remain due to poor forest management.