Portuguese Firefighters Re-elect António Nunes, Demand More Funding Ahead of Wildfire Season

Portugal’s firefighters have opted for continuity. Over the weekend, delegates at their national congress voted overwhelmingly to keep António Nunes at the helm of the League of Portuguese Firefighters through 2029, signaling that the rank-and-file believe the same captain should steer them as they battle for more funding, better training and a comprehensive reform of emergency governance.

Firefighters choose stability amid funding storm

The vote in Alcobaça, where 445 congressists gathered for the 45th National Congress, was hardly suspenseful—Nunes’ was the only slate on the ballot—yet the outcome still matters. By securing a 79% majority and extending the leadership that began in 2021, the country’s most powerful firefighter lobby now sends an unmistakable message to Lisbon: the sector will negotiate with one voice. Delegates arriving from every district described a sense of urgency. Rising operational costs, late government reimbursements and a projected €32.6 million budget line they deem “outdated” have stretched local associations. Nunes, a former senior police official, told the hall that “words of sympathy” would no longer suffice; he wants legally binding guarantees.

Nine-point agenda hints at structural overhaul

Nunes’ programme is built around nine core ambitions. At its heart lies a new statute for firefighters, meant to clarify careers, pay scales and retirement rules. He also advocates rewriting the organic law of the National Authority for Civil Protection, carving out a dedicated national command for firefighters, complete with technologically upgraded coordination rooms. Another plank demands formal labour recognition of the 30 000-strong volunteer force, integrating permanent intervention teams into local humanitarian associations and replacing annual grants with multi-year contracts that offer predictable cash-flow. The plan further calls for a standalone Firefighters’ Higher Academy, greater control over pre-hospital emergency revenues and the assertion of the League as the sector’s undisputed negotiating partner with ministries and municipalities. Throughout the congress, speakers framed those priorities as a pre-condition to reverse the decades-long slide in volunteer numbers.

Government signals goodwill but money questions persist

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Interior Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral both travelled to Alcobaça to soften tensions. Montenegro confirmed the forthcoming creation of a dual-track operational command—one branch for civil protection, another exclusively for firefighters—a concession the League has chased since the catastrophic 2017 wildfire season. Even so, no fresh money was announced. Delegates noted the irony: a command without resources could become merely symbolic. Behind closed doors, district federation chiefs weighed protest options ranging from helmet drop-offs outside parliament to partial suspension of non-urgent patient transport, a service many associations provide at a loss. One senior officer warned that morale will erode further if the State continues to reimburse wildfire expenses months after the flames are out.

Volunteers, equipment and wildfire trends leave sector on edge

Data presented at the congress underline why the leadership insists on urgency. While Portugal has marginally increased the share of professional firefighters—now over 12 000—the broader volunteer corps has shrunk by nearly 10 000 since 2011. Meanwhile, climate volatility has produced erratic fire seasons: fewer ignitions in 2024 yet four times more burnt hectares, followed by a sharp resurgence in early 2025. This year’s national directive even foresees almost 3 000 fewer frontline operatives available at the height of summer. On the material side, terrestrial fleet numbers will dip below 2 500 vehicles, although a small bump in aerial assets is expected. The League says the imbalance adds pressure on crews forced to stretch older engines over longer shifts and harsher terrains.

What comes next for Portugal’s emergency backbone

Re-election gives Nunes a powerful mandate—but also a clock. He has promised to secure legislative drafts for the new statute and command structure before Easter, persuade the finance ministry to index compensation to at least the national minimum wage per hour, and seed the curriculum for the future academy by autumn. Failure, he concedes, would push the League “toward louder forms of civic action.” For residents from Viana do Castelo to Faro, the outcome of these negotiations is more than institutional housekeeping. With rural fires growing more intense, ambulance response times tightening and voluntary service looking less attractive to younger generations, the health of the League of Portuguese Firefighters increasingly mirrors the country’s own resilience. The coming winter of policy drafting could well determine how safely Portugal greets the inevitable summer infernos.