Over 1,000 hotel, retail and council staff in the Algarve are to start receiving basic life support training in a bid to create a regional “life-saving network”.
The idea is to prepare as many as 7,000 workers throughout the next five years for cases of “life-threatening emergency”.
Entitled ‘Algarve Coração Seguro’ (Algarve Safe Heart), the initiative was launched on Wednesday (May 24) with the principal objective of establishing the Algarve as“one of the safest destinations in Europe”.
The network will be linked to regional INEM emergency services, said Nuno Marques of the University of the Algarve’s Biomedical Centre (ABC) in charge of training – meaning that people who have received training will be encouraged to work with INEM staff to provide the “fastest assistance possible to victims.”
Marques added that a “significant amount of live-saving equipment” is already available at hotels, malls and town halls.
The plan also envisages training-up airport employees and those working in public transport, he said, adding that negotiations to get this in place were already underway.
Algarve Coração Seguro is supported by the Algarve’s health authority (ARS), municipalities association (AMAL), tourism board (RTA), hoteliers association (AHETA), business association (NERA) and hotel industry association (AIHSA).
