Michael Reeve, who is CEO of the Foreign Residents’ Association ‘afpop’ and council president Chris Ireland, presented the equipment to the commanders witnessed by several firefighters.
To date defibrillators have now been supplied to 14 of the 17 Bombeiros stations in the Algarve.
According to Michael Reeve, the “equipment was purchased from the United States”, with paramedics and firefighters having to undergo a short preparatory course to get to get to grips with a defibrillator, which cost around 1,000 euros each.
He added that while there have been some substantial donations, the money raised so far has come from dozens of people across the country and further afield who decided to back the initiative.
The campaign only commenced last October, with the aim of supplying all 17 fire houses in the Algarve with defibrillators which is now within reach.
This fund raising initiative by Foreign Residents’ Association afpop, in conjunction with the Federation of Bombeiros of the Algarve, has the aim of providing a mobile defibrillator unit for each of the 17 Bombeiros commands in the Algarve. The target amount is €20,000, which will enable afpop to purchase and supply the equipment to the Bombeiros.
Prior to this campaign, the only vehicles equipped with these life-saving devices were those operated by the INEM ambulance services.
Commander Richard Marques of the Portimão station who coordinates the presentations on behalf of the Algarve Fire Federation (FBA) said: “We are delighted and surprised at how quickly the Operation Shock campaign is achieving the goal of providing this life saving equipment across the Algarve. We are very grateful to afpop for this initiative and for the support of the foreign residents in the Algarve.”
The campaign was delighted to receive a donation of over 3,300 euros from the Association Alerta de Incêndio Florestal. Their president Debbie Burton attended the ceremony with supporters from their association to witness the presentation of the equipment.
For further information on how to donate to Operation Shock, visit www.afpop.com or contact the afpop office in Portimão on tel: 282 458 509.
FBA Commander Mário Costa said late last year that the Federation was “very grateful to afpop for this initiative and for the support of the foreign residents in the Algarve. Our thanks go to all who have supported the Operation Shock campaign, which will help us to be able to save lives across the Algarve.”
The equipment supplied, as identified by the Bombeiros, is the Philips HeartStart FRx Defibrillator with ‘Infant Key’, which enables the machine to also be used on children without causing further damage to their hearts. The equipment is lightweight and can be used quickly by the Bombeiros nurses on scene. The portable defibrillators are provided to equip one red ambulance in each command, which do not come fitted with such equipment as standard.