Flores Fire Department repudiates ANA charges of non-compliance

Ofirefighters serving at Santa Cruz das Flores airport in the Azores today repudiated the charges of non-compliance by ANA - Aeroportos, challenging the company to present “concrete facts” before the “gravity of declarations”.

In a statement sent to the agency Lusa, the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Santa Cruz das Flores “shows its deepest displeasure and repudiation” for the position of ANA – Airports, which manages that airport infrastructure.

“ This association considers that these statements do not correspond to the reality of the service provided at the airport of the island of Flores and rejects vehemently any attempt to call into question professionalism, the sense of responsibility and the commitment that has always guided its performance over 20 years”, reads the document.

On Friday, in statements to the agency Lusa, ANA recalled that the provision of services at airports in the Azores was contractually with associations of firefighters, but, “in recent years, there have been repeated contractual failure by these associations at airports in Horta and Flores”.

From March 2027, the relief services at the airports of Santa Maria, Ponta Delgada, Faial and Flores, under the management of ANA – VINCI, will no longer be provided by the humanitarian associations of volunteer firefighters, being provided by a private.

In reaction, the Humanitarian Association of Firefighters of Santa Cruz das Flores “publicly defies” the ANA to “identify, concretely and unequivocally, on what days and at what time”, the service provided “did not make available the contractually foreseen human resources”.

“ These statements are nothing more than an attempt to publicly justify ANA’s decision – Aeroportos de Portugal to transfer to a private company the provision of the rescue service at the airport of the island of Flores, seeking to make fall on this association responsibilities that it does not recognize as its ", reiterates.

The Humanitarian Association warns that “it is not enough to make generic and serious statements”, considering that ANA has the “must publicly clarify” that position.

“ If ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal does not present concrete facts supporting these statements, the credibility of its position will be seriously compromised, raising legitimate doubts about the good faith with which it is conducting this process.”.

Firefighters point out that the population “knows the work done” over 20 years at Flores Airport and warns that “it is not acceptable for this whole journey to be called into question”.

“It is particularly regrettable that a little more than four months before the end of the protocol, scheduled for 28 February 2027, the ANA – Airports choose to make statements of this nature, publicly calling into question the good name and reputation of the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Santa Cruz”, they conclude.

The 60 firefighters who provide relief services at airports under ANA – Vinci management in the Azores can transit to the new service provider, assured Lusa source of the company on Friday.