Aljezur Fire Chief, Mario Costa, declared as he and his men unpacked the huge shipment from UK Fire Services Charity Operation Florian: “This is going to save lives.

“Some people who would have died in accidents and fires will live because we now have this equipment with us as we deal with life-threatening emergencies.”

The huge operation to source and deliver this equipment to the Aljezur Bombeiros began as a collaboration between Amovate and the Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club in the UK, one of whose members—Dave Good—is also a member of Amovate.

The equipment—some of which is already being used—was officially being handed over today (September 26^th) at a special ceremony.

It will include a demonstration by the Aljezur fire fighters showing the recovery of people trapped in crashed cars using rescue equipment supplied from the donation.

Guests will include the Presidents of Aljezur Camara and its four associated Juntas, The District Commissioner of the Bombeiros, Doreen Pipe, President of Shepperton Aurora Rotary, Mike Thomas and Steve Darby of Operation Florian, GNR Commander Gabriel Reis and Amovate President Peter Johnson with Committee officials and members, and Nadia Cann and Wendy Hallam of Direct Transport.

Amovate (Associação Dos Moradores e Amigos do Vale Da Telha, or the Association of Residents and Friends of Vale da Telha), through secretary Ian Bedford, and Amovate member Dave Good of Shepperton Aurora Rotary in Surrey, began working together last February to bring the equipment over from the UK as a gift for the Aljezur fire fighters.

They immediately called on Operation Florian, a world-renowned charity set up by British fire fighters in 1995, which donates surplus or part-used UK fire-fighting and rescue equipment to fire services in less well off countries—but only after careful research to ensure the equipment is going to a worthy cause and will be used safely and efficiently.

Aljezur Bombeiros were deemed fit to qualify for this equipment which includes 100 uniforms; fire coats and Bunker pants (trousers), 100 pairs of fire boots, 50 helmets, generators, pumps, “jaws-of-life” cutting tools, all of it state-of-the-art, the highest quality available anywhere.

The timing was perfect for Amovate, as a fire service had just rolled out a new contract for personal protection equipment, and Florian were gifted the large stock they had left, which they then earmarked for the Aljezur Bombeiros.

Florian relies on donations from UK Fire Brigades and sometimes that will include new or nearly-new kit, as was the case here.

Once they received the kit Florian had detailed discussions with the Bombeiros in Aljezur to ascertain the measurements and boot sizes of all the station’s firefighters.

The Shepperton Aurora Rotary’s Dave Good, who has a holiday home in Vale da Telha, was first to get the ball rolling early this year.

He suggested to Amovate that they should explore the possibility of arranging the donation of equipment to the local Bombeiros, who operate under tight financial restraints in one of the poorest of the Algarve Camaras.

From that suggestion grew that overwhelming co-ordinated response from Florian, Shepperton Aurora Rotary, Amovate, Lancashire Fire & Rescue and Algarve-based shipping and removals company Direct Transport.

Once collected, the equipment was stored at a Lancashire fire station with agreement of the Fire Authority and its Chief Fire Officer, under the supervision of Lancashire Fire & Rescue’s Steve Darby and on private property in East Grinstead by Matt Hitman from Operation Florian South, before being prepared for shipment to Portugal. Both organisations play a crucial part in allowing Florian to deliver their mission of saving lives across the world.

The arrangement was that Shepperton Autora Rotary were to then arrange collection of the equipment and make a donation to Florian, whose Treasurer Tony Burscough enabled the funding allocation for this project, whilst Amovate would cover the costs for shipping this equipment from the UK to Portugal.

Amovate contacted Direct Transport in Porches to handle the transportation. But once the company heard what was involved and that the Bombeiros would be the beneficiaries they immediately and generously waived 50 per cent of the costs.

Nadia Cann, co-owner of the company, declared: “We wanted to play our part in this amazing project because the Bombeiros is an organisation that is very close to my heart and I am always in awe of their achievements and attitude”.

So, following almost seven months of planning Aljezur Bombeiros became the beneficiaries of what Florian’s Mike Thomas believes is the first time in 10 years that so much brand new kit has been given in one donation.

“More than 80% of the fire coats and trousers are brand new, and these alone cost around €400 a set!” he revealed.

According to Fire Chief Costa those uniforms, plus all the safety and rescue equipment, would cost the Bombeiros in the region of €50,000 if they had to purchase everything themselves.

Portugal does not have a central buying/purchasing unit for the fire service. Each fire station buys the basic equipment from different suppliers—what counts most is the price. The only common items to be shared by different fire stations are hose connectors.

Mr Thomas, who backed what he called called The Florian Project from the start and scrupulously determined the amount and type of kit donated for maximum benefit, added:

“As far as I can remember this is the first time we have given so much brand new kit in one donation. It will last for around 10 years if looked after and cared for, which I am sure it will be by these very professional fire fighters in Aljezur.”

Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club President Doreen Pipe added: “This has been a fantastic outcome and we are proud to be part of this amazing project with Florian and Amovate to provide this vital equipment for the Aljezur Bombeiros.

“Their bravery and professionalism will have saved many lives and much property over the years, and we thank them for that.”

Amovate have also arranged for transport to and from Faro Airport for the guests from the UK, and we would also like to thank Bruno at the Hotel De Vale da Telha for generously providing their accomodation free of charge.

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The fire and rescue equipment arrived at Aljezur Bombeiros HQ on Wednesday August 21^st 2013.

The staff at the fire station could hardly wait to open the crates—it was like Christmas, with Amovate President Peter Johnson, Secretary Ian Bedford and Public Relations Officer Matt D’Arcy in the roles of Santa Claus!

Fire Chief Mario Costa, surveying the array of equipment lain out across the floor of the fire station, said with some wonderment: “This is an incredible moment for the firemen and paramedics of Aljezur.

“If we had to buy all of this equipment—and it goes without saying that this is something we are not really in a position to do, financially—it would cost somewhere in the region of €50,000.

“So you can understand why we are so grateful that Amovate and its members, and the people back in England who have all made it possible, have worked so hard and done so much to make this happen.

“The people of Aljezur owe you all a huge Obrigado!”

Sub-section leader Davide Costa (a rank equal to an army sergeant), who works with both the bombeiros and the force’s paramedics, added: “This really is a life-saving gift.

“For example, we had just one tool for cutting people free of cars and in a multiple pile-up—which unfortunately is something we do have to deal with every now and again—we have to make a choice of which vehicle to deal with first.

“Now, with these extra cutting tools we can get people quickly out of three vehicles all at the same time. Alternatively, we can now deploy the equipment to several incidents, if we have reports of accidents occurring at the same time in various widespread parts of our area.

“We owe Operation Florian, Amovate, the Rotary club of Shepperton and Direct Transport a huge debt of gratitude.

“For Amovate it is not just about this donation but for all the help and friendship over the years, something we know we can always count on.

“We make a good team with the spirit of co-operation between us. We need you—and you need us. It is a good partnership.”

Before this huge consignment of kit and equipment arrived the Aljezur Bombeiros owned just 15 fire-fighting suits, jackets, trousers, helmets, which had to be passed between the firefighters as they ended and started their shifts.

Now, said Davide, each firefighter will have his own set of equipment which means an even more efficient way of dealing with major fires that require a much larger number of personnel to be tackling the blazes simultaneously.

Although the entire municipality of Aljezur has just 5,884 inhabitants, the Bombeiros have to cover a huge area of 324sq kilometres across four parishes, from Odeceixe in the north (with 966 inhabitants in 8,015 hectares), Rogil (1,117 inhabitants, 3,408 hectares), Aljezur itself (3,370 inhabitants, 16,736 hectares) to Bordeira (431 residents, 8,015 hectares) in the south.

That’s a distance of around 32km, or just about 20 miles travelling along the N120 and the N268.

SUMMARY OF EQUIPMENT DONATED:

The PPE (Personal Protection Equipment—fireman’s clothing) consists of 100 pairs of boots (various average sizes plus outsizes), 100 sets of PPE leggings & tunics, again in various sizes, 50 helmets (all this handled by Lancashire Fire & Rescue’s Steve Darby), plus three fire hoses.

From East Grinstead there are 2 x Clan Lucas Hydraulic Cutter kits (for Car Crash Recovery) each with a power pack, 2 combi tools (combination rescue tools are rescue tools that can be used for both cutting and spreading and can be powered by hydraulics or batteries offering rescue teams two functions with one tool), 2 large rams and 2 small rams (used to force apart a crushed vehicle) and two ram extensions.

The donation also includes two 110volt Remscat reciprocating saws, electrically-driven universal saws capable of cutting through steel, brickwork, timber etc, using the interchangeable blades provided. They are to be used with the generators also provided.

The shipment also included some several sets of step chocks which are wedged around parts of a car to prevent it from moving while fire fighters are using the rescue equipment.

There is also an RTC kit (road traffic Collision Kit) and in addition to the cutters and spreaders, there are a number of other small tools on board the fire engine to help fire fighters deal with rescuing people from vehicles.

These include a windscreen glass protector, sharp object covers to warn fire fighters there is a hazard underneath, pedal cutters (to cut car pedals), and a knife specially designed to cut seatbelt straps.

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Operation Florian

Operation Florian is the charity set up by British fire fighters to save lives overseas by donating reconditioned fire engines and emergency equipment.

We are an international humanitarian charity providing fire engines, equipment and training to the world’s poorest regions who lose millions of lives every year to fires and disasters.

Operation Florian was established as a charity in 1995 (Charity Number 1054657). It is a UK Fire Service Humanitarian Charity working to promote the protection of life amongst communities in need, worldwide, by the provision of equipment and training to improve fire fighting and rescue capabilities.

The charity’s volunteers devote vast amounts of time, fundraising and carrying out other activities so that the charity can continue to provide its vital service all across the globe.

We receive regular requests for assistance worldwide and we are only limited by the funding we can generate and the donations we receive from the UK Fire and Rescue Services and Corporates.

Operation Florian has a Board of Trustees/Directors which is responsible for the management and direction of the charity.  We also have very good Project Managers who are responsible for the delivery of our projects and forming a competent team.

How Operation Florian works

The charity is run purely by volunteers and any member of the emergency services can help. Funds for the charity are made up of fundraising events and donations.

Just about 100% of the funds raised are converted into aid. However, as a registered charity, the demands to meet the exacting rules and expectations has recently required the charity to adopt a more professional basis for support and now employs a consultant, to oversee the administration and fundraising.

More recently, the charity has been able to secure funds by becoming the delivery partner for the UK Ministry Of Defence, itself, part of a much wider international effort concentrating on securing peace across the region. This work has allowed Florian, to deliver significantly more aid in recent years whilst maintaining its operational autonomy and decision making. Even though it is delivering to joint aims, it is able to maintain its own profile and presence.

There is no doubt that the success of the early years has provided a profile and access for Operation Florian, that few, if any other governmental or non governmental agencies have been able to achieve.

As with all charities, raising funds remains the single biggest focus, for without them we are not able to deliver our prime purpose. What we offer, is a significant profile for companies, who wish to be associated with a successful charity that has proven international success and recognition.

Operation Florian’s uniqueness, lies within its ability to provide a local focus for delivery of local needs and priorities. Often the earliest mission is to carry out a scoping visit, to learn as much as possible about the environment and needs. It is this that forms the backdrop, to identifying the type of aid needed. This also provides the opportunity to build local relationships and awareness of what Florian is all about.