"On March 3 we have a new resource to present. It is another means that will allow our professionals to act promptly in terms of rescue fires in tunnels and also in the penetration of buildings, "said the regional secretary for Health and Civil Protection.

Pedro Ramos was speaking at the commemorations of the 41st anniversary of the creation of the Regional Civil Protection Service of Madeira (SRPC), held in Funchal, but declined to reveal more details about the new resource, justifying that it is "a surprise".

The governor highlighted the focus on the aerial means that "for five years has fulfilled its mission, essentially for firefighting", and that this year now has "another valence, in search and rescue on land", as well as the contracts signed with the humanitarian firefighters associations and the presence of the Rapid Intervention Medical Team (EMIR) on the island of Porto Santo.

"My ambition is to continue to make the Regional Civil Protection Service a modern, participative service, always up to date and with the differentiation of our professionals, with a great investment not only in human resources, but also in the means and courses that are necessary," said the insular official.

Pedro Ramos also recalled some of the measures implemented over the years to modernise civil protection and "provide professionals with the means and equipment to fulfil their missions", in addition to appropriate training.

"The SRPC has evolved over the years, which has been recognised at regional, national and regional level", he stressed, recalling the responses to "situations of exception", disasters and the covid-19 pandemic.

Also according to the regional secretary, the project to create a multidisciplinary team in the area of civil protection "is completed", aiming to "professionalize and dignify" the profession of firefighter in the region.

In this regard, Pedro Ramos said that Madeira has 737 firefighters, and a reinforcement is planned in the voluntary bodies of São Vicente and Porto Moniz, Madeirenses and Câmara de Lobos.

In his turn, the president of the SRPC, António Mendes Nunes, said that the communications centre had recorded over 39,500 occurrences in 2022.

"We have practically all the means, what we can do is to increase the quality of these means and also betting on digitalisation, because we all know that the future passes through there," he stressed.