After the fire, what will the future of firefighters be like?

The current model, in Fábio Silva's view, requires a change in career assumptions, with higher salaries for those with knowledge and where this pay improvement isn't simply achieved through promotions or changes between organizations: "I believe it's possible to continue with a system similar to the one we have, but changing the assumptions with meritocracy. The state isn't results-oriented."

Finally, the last expert consulted by Observador agrees with the diagnosis that " firefighters need career security ," with a focus on pay. "A fire chief in Pinhel can earn 1,500 euros, and the fire chief in Cacilhas can earn 3,000 euros, depending on what the association wants to pay them. This was essential," he clarifies, calling for more comprehensive professionalization, "with the involvement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health, with permanent funding and based on a risk analysis."

According to the LBP president, the history, the institutions involved, and the characteristics of the country itself make it difficult to import models from other countries for firefighter management. "Each country has a different structure: France has 80,000 professionals and 230,000 volunteers, Spain is distinct, with broad autonomy, Germany has a slightly different structure between large cities and the countryside, and Austria has around 100,000 volunteer firefighters. There's no great standardization, and we have to choose according to our identity and capabilities," he asserts.

And while Fábio Silva subscribes to the idea that "it is in this model that we need the capacity to grow with it," immediately dismissing the Spanish model due to regional autonomous communities, André Fernandes admits that the French model, "with the necessary adaptations, could serve" Portugal.

However, the former national commander of ANEPC highlights the huge spending gap at this level between Portugal and France. "The French system costs at least €2.5 billion. ANEPC has a budget of around €250 or €260 million, of which around €180 million will go to humanitarian organizations," he recalls. This amount is in addition to the approximately €34.8 million allocated in the 2025 State Budget for humanitarian organizations , or the daily amount of €75 established under the DECIR (Special Device for Combating Rural Fires).

"There's no system like ours," concedes another expert interviewed by Observador, continuing: "In most Latin American countries, for example, firefighters have military origins. In Spain, they belong primarily to regions and municipalities, and in France, they are primarily professionals. We can't remake our history."

Considering the reality in other countries and the impact of a potential professionalization of firefighters nationwide, António Nunes reiterates that the solution lies in training volunteers and granting them greater management autonomy. "If we had a national professional fire department, we would need a budget of 2.5 billion euros. Do we have that? So, we need to strengthen our capacity with volunteers; it's more economically viable."

In addition to a national fire department command, greater autonomy from Civil Protection and coordination with its command structure, career issues, and the potential professionalization of more personnel, the LBP warns of constraints in recruiting more human resources and points to age. "To recruit firefighters, the maximum age is 45. In France, it's 55. If you're 46 and want to be a volunteer firefighter, you can't. The system needs to be rethought ," it insists.

And will the government be willing to move forward with changes to the firefighting and civil protection systems? António Nunes believes there is "openness" to taking this step. "The government has given very strong signals that it is willing to engage with us and find an alternative system to the current one, which has already proven to be unsuitable for the population," he states.