EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IN LISBON

Emergency Medical Services / ambulance services are provided by several Agencies in Lisbon. The leading ambulance group is the city Volunteer Fire Departments, operating as "independent Battalions". Additional ambulances are provided by the RSB, the National Police (PSP)-Lisbon Metropolitan Command, and the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP).

In addition the Ministry of Health, through the National EMS Agency (INEM), provides doctors and paramedics in "fast cars" as well as in special medicalized ambulances (as an "incubator unit" for recently born infants). All these will respond ,by special request or upon the "112" dispatcher's own judgment, from one central station in mid-town Lisbon.

Most calls for ambulance service from the public go to police dispatchers via the "112" (ex-"115") emergency phone number. If the call is for an incident on the street, a police ambulance staffed by paramedics will respond. If the call is for a medical emergency within a building, then the call will be relayed to the RSB dispatcher. The RSB dispatcher will then have the options of sending: one of the 7 city Volunteer Battalions'ambulance (most likely) , an RSB's own vehicle or a Red Cross one.

At the present time, all Portuguese Firefighters are trained in basic first aid. Some ambulance attendants and some ambulance drivers do get additional first aid training, a few of them to a full paramedic level.

The seven private/non-profit Volunteer Departments in Lisbon operate altogether approximately 35 ambulances, more then 15 of these being equipped with advanced life-support gear. Usually, those ambulances are staffed by a paid driver and 1 or 2 volunteer attendants (even just a trainee fireman in certain cases,when no other manpower is available at the Station). The paid drivers are funded by the these charity-aimed Fire Departments, which also pay for the other running costs concerned as well as for the vehicles themselves!

The RSB (City Paid Fire Department) operates 1 paramedic ambulance plus 6 basic ambulances.

Lisbon's PSP responds to street casualties with ambulances based at 8 different Police stations / precints. A few reserve units are based at Lisbon's PSP HQ, (downtown).

The Portuguese Red Cross (CVP) responds, through its own dispatcher, by orders of the Police (serious "street" casualty) or the RSB (on major emergencies ,likely), from its Lisbon single Station (at downtown HQ). A small number only of CVP ambulances are available, within the city itself, but they are equipped with full paramedic gear. Some special vehicles are also available from CVP's Lisbon base, such as a small operating room on wheels and a field hospital that may be installed ,with short notice, from a truck+trailer combination.

The paramedics who staff the police ambulances are former police patrol officers who have had paramedical training and passed the paramedic exam to become fulltime paramedics. The City Police operate 8 fulltime paramedic ambulances and have approximately 5 reserve vehicles. The funding for the paramedic ambulances and the paramedical training comes from the National EMS Office.

--------------------

 Return to the Index Page