A disaster could happen at any moment, and we're not ready to respond
Firefighters work exhausting consecutive shifts up to 36 hours, threatened with heavy fines and disciplinary action if they refuse, compromising emergency response readiness. Rest facilities were dismantled and replaced with chairs; workers report constant interruptions preventing adequate sleep during night shifts when no flights operate.
- Firefighters work consecutive shifts up to 36 hours at Porto Airport
- Workers threatened with €30,000 fines and legal action for refusing shifts
- Rest dormitories dismantled and replaced with armchairs
- Humanitarian Association of Firefighters of Moreira da Maia has held contract since 2006
Firefighters at Porto Airport report being coerced into 36-hour consecutive shifts under threat of €30k fines and legal action, raising serious safety concerns for emergency response capability.
The firefighters at Porto Airport are being forced to work back-to-back shifts stretching to 36 hours, threatened with fines of 30,000 euros, disciplinary proceedings, and lawsuits if they refuse. This is what an investigation by Prova dos Factos revealed on Friday—and it raises a stark question about whether the airport can actually respond to an emergency.
The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto depends on firefighters contracted through the Humanitarian Association of Firefighters of Moreira da Maia, a subcontractor that has held the security contract since 2006. Workers say they are being coerced into these grueling schedules by both the airport authority and their employer. One firefighter, who asked not to be named, described the pattern: his colleague would still be on duty when he arrived in the morning, and would still be there when he returned at 8 p.m. Another worker, also anonymous, put it plainly: "If there's an accident, do you think I can save 100 people after 24 hours of work? We're running on empty."
The exhaustion is compounded by the dismantling of the dormitories where firefighters once rested during night hours, when air traffic is minimal. They have been replaced with armchairs. Workers report that their sleep is constantly interrupted—lights being switched on and off, doors slamming, colleagues fetching coffee. One firefighter said: "Our rest is being disrupted all the time." The pressure comes from above. José Mota Borges, president of the Humanitarian Association, has threatened workers repeatedly during meetings. According to recordings, he warned them that if the airport were downgraded in safety classification—which would prevent larger aircraft from landing—the association could face fines around 30,000 euros, and if the contract were terminated, losses could reach a million euros. "It's not the Association that pays," he said. "It goes straight to court."
The stakes are real. If Porto Airport loses its security certification, it loses the ability to accommodate large commercial aircraft. That threat is being weaponized to keep exhausted workers on the job. The firefighters themselves say they are too depleted to guarantee rescue operations if disaster strikes. One worker invoked a recent accident at a local elevator, saying: "A disaster could happen at any moment, just like it did there, and we're not ready to respond." The safety of the airport—and the people who work and travel through it—now depends on workers operating at the edge of collapse.
Notable Quotes
If there's an accident, do you think I can save 100 people after 24 hours of work? We're running on empty.— Anonymous firefighter at Porto Airport
A disaster could happen at any moment, just like it did at the elevator, and we're not ready to respond.— Firefighter interviewed by RTP
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would an airport authority push firefighters to the breaking point? Isn't that obviously dangerous?
Because they're caught between two pressures. If they don't meet security standards, the airport gets downgraded and loses revenue. So they squeeze the contractor, who squeezes the workers. The fines and legal threats are meant to make refusal seem impossible.
But the firefighters are saying they can't actually do their job anymore. Isn't that the real risk?
Exactly. The logic collapses. You're threatening people to work in conditions that make them unable to work. A firefighter running on 36 hours straight isn't more reliable—he's a liability.
What about the dormitories? Why dismantle those?
Cost, probably. Fewer beds means fewer workers needed on payroll. But it also means no real rest, even during the quiet hours. You're not sleeping in a chair.
So this is about cutting corners to protect the contract?
Yes. The contractor is protecting itself from financial penalties by pushing workers into unsustainable conditions. The workers have no leverage because they're threatened with legal action if they push back.
What happens if there actually is an emergency?
That's what the firefighters are saying—they won't be able to respond properly. And then everyone loses.