Are Portuguese beaches and bathers safe?
“That is a question nobody will be able to answer,” Alexandre Tadeia, president of the Portuguese Lifeguards Federation (FEPONS), told Euronews.
The bathing season began at the start of the month in several municipalities, but there may not be enough lifeguards for all beaches across the country. The vast majority of working lifeguards are also young students, many of them working overtime.
“If every lifeguard in Portugal worked only 40 hours a week, we would need around 6,000 to 6,500 lifeguards. We have about 5,000, and of those five thousand, not all will work. I would say maybe two thirds will work,” Tadeia said. “We have only half the number of lifeguards working that we should have.”
Among the various problems plaguing the profession, Tadeia highlighted the difficulty in retaining staff. Figures from the National Maritime Authority, quoted by Jornal de Notícias, point to a reduction of 265 certified lifeguards in two years. For FEPONS, the problem is even bigger.
