State of Minas Gerais Fire Brigade of Brazil
State of Minas Gerais Fire Brigade History
After numerous fires and extended discussions about the need to create a firefighting service in the state of Minas Gerais, the Fire Brigade of the Civil Guard was created on August 31, 1911.
The first eleven civil guards were sent to Rio de Janeiro, which at the time was the federal capital of Brazil, in order to learn the firefighter jobs. Despite having graduated with honors, the people of Minas Gerais would still have to wait another two years until the Service was fully operational. As part of the Public Force, as the Military Police were named at that time, the service grew slowly and faced all kinds of difficulties, from lack of personnel to equipment and even... water!
On January 4, 1934, the fire service became independent from the Public Force, changing its name to the Fire Brigade of the State of Minas Gerais, and remained that way until 1966, when, by virtue of a federal decree from the military government, the corporation was incorporated into the Military Police.
Minas Gerais firefighters would only regain their independence on December 13, 1999, remaining that way to nowadays. In addition to being responsible for fighting fires, the State of Minas Gerais Military Fire Brigade also operates in rescues on land, rivers and lakes, emergency medical services, inspection of the safety conditions of buildings and houses, in addition to socio-educational activities aimed at educating the general population about the importance of preventing fires and other accidents.
Minas Gerais Military Fire Department of Brazil insignia
Márcio Trocado
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