The woman, who was accompanied by another 72-year-old Dutch tourist, fell from a height of approximately seven meters and suffered a broken foot. She was immobilized on a hard surface by the team and transported to Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça to receive treatment.
Once again, the commander of the Volunteer Firefighters of São Vicente and Porto Moniz asks tourists and locals to pay attention when carrying out these routes, as it is always necessary to know the route well, see if it is a recommended route and wear suitable clothing.
Artur Fernandes also states that “Madeira’s reputation could be destroyed by this lack of responsibility that has been recurrent”, as he believes that tourists “can return to the country and pass on negative information about the island when they themselves do not respect the rules nor the routes”.
The commander also praised the pride and professionalism of the firefighters involved in this rescue, noting that “it is always necessary to call in elements that are off duty (in this case there were 9 firefighters), and many times it is also necessary to reinforce other corporations because the corps of firefighters are not prepared with human resources for these situations that have been more and more frequent”.
“The speed with which these off-duty firefighters arrived at the barracks and the commitment to this rescue on a rainy day is to be commended”, he said, recalling that it is important to bear in mind that it is not just the lives of tourists that are at risk, but that of the professionals themselves.