Médio Tejo Civil Protection Deploys New Rescue Vessel on Castelo do Bode

The Civil Protection authority of the Médio Tejo region has placed a multi‑purpose vessel into service on the Castelo do Bode reservoir. The €130,000 boat, presented at the Lago Azul in Ferreira do Zêzere, can pump water up to 50 metres, transport up to ten firefighters and serve for rescue, drowning and collision incidents, as well as for fighting forest fires along the reservoir’s banks.

The vessel is part of the operational strategy of the Comunidade Intermunicipal do Médio Tejo and results from cooperation among the municipalities of Abrantes, Tomar and Ferreira do Zêzere, their fire services and the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC). Commander David Lobato highlighted its dual role in providing rapid water‑based fire suppression and enabling firefighters to reach otherwise inaccessible river‑side slopes.