The proposal was launched by the socialist councilors during the session of the Chamber held on October 10, “for the worst reasons, beach safety has been on the agenda, after the period designated for the bathing season which s “It ended on September 11,” recalled João Trocado. The councilor understands “that the services provided by the Póvoa City Council in terms of patrols could be better, there could be more resources available as is the case in the closer municipalities. The departmental councilor informed us that at a future meeting a protocol would be concluded with the Associação Os Golfinhos Nadadores-Salvadores, which has several aspects, one of which applies to weekends outside the official period swimming. season. I don’t know if weekends are enough, I don’t know which days the worst episodes happened. What is certain is that, given the safety of people and the image of our beaches which are at stake, even outside the bathing period, little care is necessary and additional means would be, at our disposal. opinions, welcome.”

According to João Trocado, signage of beaches, high tides and the dangers posed by the sea would contribute to prevention. And he recalled that the winning project of the last Participatory Youth Budget was precisely in the area of ​​prevention and seaside rescue, which consists of better signage and identification of contacts in the event of incidents. It was a winning project, precisely because it had the merit of responding to a serious problem. Not being the direct responsibility of the Municipality, this is work that can never be neglected. And although this project won, it did not progress in time for this beach season or this period that we live in and where we can have good weather on the beaches.

He adds: “The beaches are marked as unsupervised, but this may not be enough for some episodes. I insist on the fact that it is not Póvoa which is particularly dangerous, what we need is for the local authorities not to neglect the means at their disposal, being a close political body to better protect those who visit and those who live here, and want to use the beaches outside of the designated period.”

For the socialist councilor, “we wanted to clearly express our concern about this”, and he deplored “the joke with which the Vice President of the House, Luís Diamantino, declared that – next time he would erect a wall around of the entire House. swimming area of ​​all beaches in Póvoa. It’s a way of approaching the subject that didn’t make me want to laugh at all, but it would have been a good joke for those who noticed. For us, this is a situation that must be taken seriously and this difference was also manifested during this meeting.”

In turn, the mayor of the Town Hall, regarding what happened after the end of the bathing season, with certain incidents, one or the other, with fatal consequences, declares that “the appeal is always on everyone’s conscience, when going to the beach. In these circumstances, where there is no surveillance and the sea is quite rough, you must first think about your safety. Surveillance is always tight, it is never effective as it is during the bathing season, so people need to be aware of this,” said Aires Pereira.

As for a possible increase in patrol personnel, it is not planned: “The relationship we maintain is that which results from the surveillance carried out on electric bikes and with the SeaMaster moving along the beach, then from the contact telephone between the rescuers who are in operation to move to places where there are incidents. Let’s first say that outside the bathing season, the Maritime Authority is responsible for the security of the Portuguese coast. We are a complement to this security.

The implementation of the “Lançar Para Salvar” project, winner of the Youth Participatory Budget, according to the mayor, should be imminent: “It must fundamentally be applied outside the bathing season. The project was recently approved and we are working on it, in order to implement it as soon as possible.”

The Annual Bather Assistance Service recently set up in Porto, Gaia and Vila do Conde has not yet convinced Aires Pereira: “the question has not yet been asked to us at this level. Because there have been more incidents in this area than here. It is necessary to understand whether these projects really lead to better personal safety. From now on, everything is the responsibility of each of us when we go to the beach outside the bathing season.”

In Portugal, health does not want to be at the time of death

“We must be aware of the situation that we are experiencing and which has never been experienced in Portugal since April 25 (1974), even in a pandemic situation there has been a strengthening of professionals to carry out the most important function. elementary of the State, the health of the Portuguese. I fear that there will be more serious incidents due to the lack of assistance”, replied Aires Pereira, when asked about the closure of emergency services on weekends, although it happens occasionally, as happened in the Hospital da Póvoa de Varzim, and in others spread throughout the country. .


The situation of the National Health Service was the theme of the speeches given on the occasion of the anniversary of the volunteer firefighters of Póvoa de Varzim. The President recalled that “firefighters, like local authorities, are always available to support their populations. This happened during the pandemic and under very difficult circumstances. Local officials never took time off work, never complained about working longer hours than normal, and neither did firefighters. When an ambulance is called to transport a person, firefighters will have difficulty responding because they will have to walk from one side to the other until they know where they are going to leave the patient. This concern was expressed by the Federation of Portuguese Firefighters – during the firefighters’ anniversary – but also by the inoperability of our ambulances which no longer waited to be able to deliver the patient they were transporting. Over time, we realize that the situation is becoming more and more serious.”

During the executive meeting, it was approved the support for the feast of Saint Martin at the Casa dos Poveiros in Toronto, Canada, “in this celebration a large part of the Poveira community that lives in Toronto gathers, and the Municipal council will cover the expenses of the two artists who will perform there. It’s always a time of great interaction with our community,” said Aires Pereira.

Approval was also given to the realization of the course that will take place at the Municipal Museum, “The dining room in Portugal and the arts of the table”, which will be taught by Professor Gonçalo Vasconcelos e Sousa. As well as various support for municipal organizations, namely the Interparish Football, Table Tennis and Athletics Championships. Support for the 17th Cycle of Sacred Music Rates, organized last May, was also approved.

Jose Peixoto

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