Coimbra council approves €1.1 million purchase of seven civil‑protection vehicles

The Câmara Municipal of Coimbra unanimously approved a direct‑procurement procedure to acquire seven new vehicles for the municipal civil‑protection service, at a base price of €1,082,500 plus VAT. The fleet will include two forest fire‑fighting trucks, a lightweight fire‑fighting vehicle, a tactical command unit, a forest‑tactical tanker, a civil‑protection coordination vehicle and an all‑terrain light vehicle for forest‑sappers.

President of the council Ana Abrunhosa justified the urgency, stating “Devido à urgência da situação, apr​ovei a abertura do concurso e das respetivas despesas através de um despacho individual e o que trago é uma ratificação.” The vehicles will replace a decade‑old fleet, improve fuel efficiency and water‑carrying capacity, and will be allocated to volunteer firefighters in Brasfemes and Coimbra, the municipal rescue service, and the forest‑sappers.

The purchase is presented as essential for responding to critical rural and forest fire incidents and other disasters, addressing both wear‑out and outdated technology in the current fleet.