José wanted to be a policeman when he was a child, however he grew up watching his older brother, a member of the Alcoutim fire brigade since it was founded 40 years ago, going to work and arriving home in uniform. Moreover, his school was right next door to the fire station. Being so close to the day-to-day operations, hearing the sirens wailing and watching the fire engines roar off in response to an incident fascinated him to the point where, as soon as the alarm bells sounded for an emergency, he would ‘take a break’ from school to keep them company. “Those were different times and that wouldn't happen today. Fortunately, there were never any problems, but it was dangerous”, he admits.
This daily interaction with the routines of these ‘peace-makers’ had a profound influence on him. Living in this environment of constant adrenaline and his respect for the firefighters´ work led him down the same path, without ever expecting anything in return.
The challenge of being a firefighter
As far as he´s concerned, selfless dedication and the desire to help the community are values that still endure today, so much so that the most difficult decisions always involve human lives. “Sometimes, we´re forced to let a property burn down in order to guarantee personal safety, which is particularly tough on the people losing all their possessions. This can be especially painful as we also have to deal with the victims, who, in such moments of despair, end up in tears, venting their frustration at having lost their life's work and even blaming us for their loss. Once, in Serra da Estrela, I arrived in a village and a lady took her anger out on me, saying that we were too late to save the outlying houses. I took the criticism in my stride and, shortly afterwards, when she realised how far we had come to help, her mood changed completely and she even offered me a bowl of soup. Moments like that require enormous emotional control because the pressure and psychological burden are intense’, explained José Ribeiros, who always finds major fires and accidents the most challenging situations. ‘Certain experiences can have a lifelong impact on you,’ this predestined firefighter added before confessing that maintaining the necessary level-headedness hasn´t always been easy.
A firefighter since the age of 17, José Ribeiros feels fulfilled and happy to contribute to the safety of his people and his country.
The Alcoutim Fire Brigade operates mainly in the municipality itself but, whenever necessary, it assists with emergencies anywhere in the Algarve or even across the entire country. These ‘soldiers’ go whenever situations In the Algarve require more resources, the commander explained, ‘cooperation between the various fire brigades is essential: one person's problem is everyone's problem. If there's a fire in Monchique, we go to Monchique. In the case of major fires, the operation is co-ordinated at the regional level and whoever is needed goes according to proximity and the emergency timetable in place’.
In any emergency, there is so much at stake and this requires the thorough and rapid management of the situation, meaning the tension is often enormous. ‘When we´re the first to arrive at a fire, there are many initial concerns: identifying sensitive issues such as people, houses or means of access; assessing the fuel involved, such as brush or trees; and coordinating the teams arriving after having been notified by radio in the meantime. The first half hour is particularly critical as we're still getting to grips with the terrain and deciding on the best strategies to follow. Once the structure has been defined, with a three-pronged focus on firefighting, logistics and planning, the operation gradually becomes more effective’, he explained.
Other types of support are also provided, such as non-emergency patient transport, in addition to the partnerships established with other institutions, such as Odiana, the Lower Guadiana Region Development Association for undertaking social activities within the community, and Galp, the energy corporation that has installed one of the country’s biggest solar power farms in Alcoutim and for which they provide security.
The importance of volunteer work
Running a fire brigade is never an easy task and even more so when it's a volunteer unit. In a municipality such as Alcoutim, with an ageing population of around 2,500 people, where more than 60% of the inhabitants are over 60 years old, there is a serious lack of young people eligible to join the fire brigade.
A radio is an essential companion in the command car. This provides the channel through which he manages many of the operations, from contacting his own team to liaising with other organisations, in addition to obtaining information to pass on to the firefighters.
The Alcoutim Fire Brigade currently has 25 full-time members and between 12 and 15 additional volunteers. However, more people are needed. According to José Ribeiros, they are around 8 to 10 members short. Although making the firefighters professional would help and stands out as a solution, volunteers will always be needed. “Volunteering is a vital complement. Nevertheless, the number of volunteers seems to be getting lower and lower. This situation is made all the more challenging due to the fact that most firefighters used to live in the town, while now many reside some 30 or 40 kilometres away. Although technology such as WhatsApp and SMS helps with coordination, the difficulties persist. People calling out the firefighters often expect them to be full-time professionals, which places additional pressure on the volunteers. They try to act with the utmost professionalism, even when working during the day and remaining on call or on active duty at night, which involves a considerable additional effort, as many of them need to go back to their normal job the following day’, José emphasised before lamenting the meagre funding assigned to firefighter associations.
Like most firefighters, this commander also started out in the profession as a volunteer. He was 17 and had just completed a first aid course. He then went to Evora to train as an electrician, a trade he would never get to practice as it was written in the stars that his major purpose in life was to be a full-time firefighter. After concluding his training and returning to Alcoutim, a vacancy arose at the local fire brigade, an opportunity he seized without thinking twice and where he has been ever since.
The life of a commander outside the barracks
The father of two children, a 22-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son, José already has at least one potential follower, as the youngest wears the uniform with pride. ‘We opened a cadet school this year, an old project comprising a series of activities and that is going very well. In an area with not that many children, we weren't expecting the turnout we got: almost 30 children and young people aged between 5 and 18’. Basically, this serves as a way of engaging the younger generation in one of the noblest professions in the world, even though it´s not always easy to strike a balance between the job and personal and family life. This has to be done on a practical basis at the time, as controlling external events is impossible. Indeed, when we scheduled our interview with José on a hot afternoon in early August, we knew beforehand that it might be postponed or interrupted suddenly should the emergency bells start ringing. Fortunately, this didn't happen and there was still time to accompany the commander on one of his favourite hobbies: fishing
