In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) said that these 122 new teams will be created in 95 municipalities and, in most cases, these teams will be the second to be created in the same fire brigade.

According to MAI, 11 will be the first teams, 110 will be the second teams, and one firemen's organisation will host the third EIP.

Created in 2001, these teams are made up of five members each, who are permanently at the fire stations to deal with any emergency situation registered in the municipality.

With the creation of the new 122 EIPs, the total number of teams already registered has risen to 528, which corresponds to a more than threefold increase since 2016, when there were 169.

There are currently 359 Permanent Intervention Teams in operation, involving a total of 1,807 operatives.

MAI highlights that the EIPs are formed by "professional firefighters and are characterised by their high specialisation, with skills in different valences to act in different scenarios".

The signing ceremony of the protocols for the constitution of 122 EIP will be held in Mação, in the district of Santarém, and is chaired by the Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Patricia Gaspar.