According to the Madeira Regional Civil Protection Service, the equipment represents an investment by the Regional Government of over €30,000 and is part of the “strategy to strengthen the regional response system within the Integrated System of Protection and Relief Operations (SIOPS)”.

The blankets are from the German brand VLITEX, in the “Premium” range, and are resistant to high temperatures, up to 1300 degrees Celsius, the Civil Protection agency stated in a press release.

“The objective of this training program, given the significant number of fires in transport vehicles (close to one hundred per year), is to limit the damage caused by a fire in a vehicle, prevent its spread to exposures, as well as contain the production of toxic fumes through the rapid extinguishing of the fire, ensuring the safety of intervention teams and the population in the vicinity,” the statement reads.

According to Civil Protection, the blankets are large and “allow covering a vehicle on fire or at risk of fire,” proving particularly important in parking lots, tunnels and densely populated areas, “where the effectiveness of their action can be decisive in containing the impacts of this type of incident.”

The Civil Protection agency also states that theoretical and practical training is underway at each fire station, conducted by a team of instructors from the Funchal Fire Brigade, on the practical use of this innovative equipment.