The PAN/Azores delivered today to the Regional Legislative Assembly a document that aims to create the Statute of the Professional Firefighters of the Azores, officially recognizing the profession of firefighter as a profession of risk and rapid attrition, imposing the payment of a remuneration supplement for the respective risk, as well as the anticipation of the retirement age.

There are repeated warnings from the Fire Brigades for the loss of human resources and difficulties in recruiting elements for the development of the mission. The situation is extremely serious in the Azores, which, according to data from Pordata, between 2007 and 2022 lost about 164 elements, a reduction of about 16% of operatives, with a tendency to increase, which may compromise the provision of relief in the Region in the short and medium term, especially on the smaller islands, where these professionals are the first line of intervention. Since the election of the PAN/Azores Deputy in 2020, the Party has sought to reverse this situation, presenting successive initiatives aimed at restoring the dignity of this profession, making it more attractive and respected. It should be recalled that one of the first legislative initiatives of the PAN/Azores was the creation of the risk allowance for firefighters in the Azores, which awaits the creation of the professional statute for its implementation. To this end, the PAN/Azores intends to definitively fill this gap through the legislative initiative that it delivered today to the Assembly.At the same time, the creation of this professional statute brings wage justice to the class, imposing salary values that are appropriate to the functions of the firefighter profession, preventing their salaries from being, year after year, absorbed by the increase in the minimum wage. Nevertheless, and in order to respond to the demands of the firefighters, the statute also provides for the provision of adequate training, psychological support for firefighters and the anticipation of the retirement age. Aware of these premises, the Party considers it urgent to create and develop mechanisms that allow attracting individuals to the profession, without forgetting those who already develop it, and the respective valorization is an emergency, whose solution involves the creation of a legal regime that discriminates, in a positive way, the firefighters who dedicate themselves to it with total availability, for the benefit of the entire Azorean population." It is with a sense of justice, legitimacy and commitment that the PAN/Azores moves forward with this initiative, thus honouring the promise and commitment made to the firefighters during the elections last February – which would be our first initiative of this legislature".