Regional Government reinforces pre-hospital emergency care in Faial with SIV vehicle operating 24/7 - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, announced that Faial Immediate Life Support Service (SIV) will now operate 24 hours a day, reinforcing the island's response capacity in pre-hospital medical emergencies and rescue conditions.

For Alonso Miguel, this is "a historic step," noting that "until now, the SIV vehicle was only available 16 hours a day, a limitation that no longer exists to ensure a closer, more effective and permanent response."

"From now on, it will be available 24/7 with an SIV AMBULANCE model, already successfully tested by the Praia da Vitória Fire Department," Alonso Miguel emphasised during the delivery ceremony of an ambulance to the Faial Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters.

The government official explained that the permanent operation of SIV services represents a government investment of around €360,000, including €100,000 for a new ambulance and about €260,000 to staff the two crews assigned to pre-hospital emergency medical services.

The ambulance now delivered to Faial is one of nine vehicles acquired under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), representing an overall investment of about one million Euros. All ambulances have now been delivered to their respective associations.

“Therefore, the population of Faial will now have another ambulance, more days of ambulance crews and the SIV vehicle operating 24 hours a day. This clearly demonstrates the importance we attach to the response capacity of our fire brigade in the area of pre-hospital emergency medical care,” he added.

On that occasion, Alonso Miguel also thanked the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security and the Horta Hospital "for increasing nursing resources and the joint work that proved essential for the implementation of this new project in Faial."

The Regional Secretary, who oversees Civil Protection, also pointed out that "the Regional Government's investment in pre-hospital medical emergencies has been growing significantly," noting that there was an increase from €4.9 million in 2020 to €7.9 million in 2025.

He continued: "This is a 61% increase in investment, which reflects the Regional Government's firm commitment and clear focus on responding immediately to emergencies and supporting the professionals working in this field. This is reflected not only in the renewal of the red and yellow fleet, but also in the expansion of the SIV vehicle fleet and the increase of pre-hospital emergency medical crews."

The government official concluded by reiterating the Regional Government's commitment to the Azorean fire brigades, assuring that it will continue to invest, support and jointly work "to safeguard the most precious asset: human life."