Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Porto Novo Volunteer Fire Department welcomed on Friday the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the municipal council and the government that will enable the construction of a purpose-built fire station for the corporation.
The commander of the Porto Novo Volunteer Fire Department, Balbino Gomes, told Inforpress that the initiative pleased the corporation, which has always dreamed of building a purpose-built fire station that offers all the necessary operating conditions.
Balbino Gomes said that it has always been the wish of the “soldiers of peace” to see a fire station built, which is why the signing of the memorandum of understanding pleased the institution, which urges the municipality and the government to finalize the project “as soon as possible”.
The Porto Novo Volunteer Fire Department hopes to be involved in the development of the project, so that it can contribute to this municipality being equipped with “an excellent fire station capable of serving the entire island of Santo Antão”.
The memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday between the Porto Novo Municipal Council and the Government establishes that the municipality will grant the central government the use of the former carpentry workshop for the creation of an arts and crafts center.
In return, the Government will build a fire station in this municipality, an infrastructure that, according to the Prime Minister, is part of a strategy to strengthen the civil protection system in Santo Antão with the construction of the airport and the expansion of the port.
The municipal council initially intended to remodel the former carpentry workshop building to house the fire station.
The municipality recognizes the need for firefighters to have better working conditions, having allocated 6 million escudos in this year’s budget to support the fire department, which has been in existence for over two decades.
Since its creation, the fire department has worked in a space that, according to the department, does not offer the minimum conditions for such work.
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