About the Stamp
The stamp shows a composition of several firefighters, demonstrating the diversity of their equipment and uniforms. One of the uniforms represented, worn by the female firefighter in the lower left corner, is the national standard adopted in Brazil. At the bottom, in the center, it is possible to see a rescue dog. The entwined hoses are symbols of the profession and can be found on the various coats of arms of the existing corporations over the country. In the background, there are the two major areas of performance of this professional: the urban and the forest environments. The technique used was digital illustration and photocomposition.
Profession: Firefighter
With this second issue, Correios is following up the “Professions” series, which will release postage stamps related to 5 Brazilian professions between the years 2021 and 2025. The second component of the series is the Firefighter, a professional of great importance, responsible for the rescue and salvage of the most diverse emergency situations. The stamp also brings the representation of firefighters and some working tools.
Since the dawn of human history, fire has been a major factor in development but has also been responsible for some of the biggest disasters in environmental devastation and loss of life. Preventing and fighting fires is the firefighters’ main activity, but it is only part of the many attributions of these professionals who work in the rescue and salvage of the most diverse emergency situations such as: accidents, explosions, heights, collapses, lost in the woods, chemical emergencies with dangerous products, and also they play an important role in education and in civil protection and defense services.
The history of the profession in the world is more than 2,000 years old. In Brazil it started in 1856 with the first governmental public service in the then capital Rio de Janeiro. The service was coordinated by engineers and executed by residents and slaves, but only in 1880 these coordinators came to receive military officer’s patents. In 1876, in Manaus, state of Amazonas, the first public Municipal Firefighter service was created, which until then was performed by residents voluntarily. In 1892 the first non-governmental public service was formalized, the Voluntary Firefighter of Joinville-SC.
Decades later the first military firemen services appeared around the country and in the world. However, only Brazil has military Firefighter services or state or district military police, in all other countries these services are civilian and municipal, while here all these models coexist.
In 1998 in the state of São Paulo the Military Police Fire Department founded the Firefighters Superior School. In the civil area the profession and services have developed a lot in the late 1990’s with the first unions in the category. In the 2000’s it was released the first national standards of ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Norms) in the area. In 2009 the profession that was already recognized since the 1980’s by the Ministry of Labor was regulated by Federal Law 11. 901. In 2011 the National Council of Self-Regulation of Civilian Firefighters - CNBC Brazil was founded, which in addition to issuing the professional identification published the Code of Ethics and guidelines for reference and national standards. In the 2010s public and private universities began to offer specialization and postgraduate courses in the area. In 2021 the Ministry of Education included in the national catalog the Technical Course in Prevention and Firefighting. At last, in 2022 the Brazilian College of Prevention, Preparation and Response to Emergencies - FEMERG was founded to take care of the first graduations of Technologists and Bachelor Firefighters and more specific academic activities in the area, making it increasingly possible for people to realize the dream of being a Firefighter.
Even today, the great majority of the 5,600 municipalities in Brazil still don’t have a public Firefighter service, be it a state military service, a municipal service, or a volunteer service, costing a lot to our environment and population. The development of the profession and the expansion of public and private Firefighter services is a priority for the class entities.
To enter the profession in the civilian area, the person needs to be certified in a recognized basic level professionalizing course or to be graduated in a technical or superior course. Then, as a professional in the area, the person can seek approval in a public contest or selection process. Female and male Firefighters are able to practice the profession in the whole country in public or private services. For the military career it is not necessary for the person to have a previous professionalizing course, the military corporation itself promotes the training of its recruits, and those interested must be qualified in a public exam and also be approved in the internal training course so that they can practice the profession exclusively in the respective corporation.
Female and male Firefighters are present in municipalities and public agencies, in the private sector and in communities, protecting the environment, the population and facilities in industries, shopping centers, shows and events, and any group of people or activities where there may be significant risk. These professionals make analyses, propose and implement prevention and protection measures, participate in the elaboration of protocols and emergency plans, supervise and control means and prevention systems, and act to avoid or minimize damage in the most diverse emergencies.
Besides being very celebrated in the international scenario, in Brazil the profession counts on several entities and movements, specialized magazines, and large fairs and annual events all over the country. The commemorative dates are January 12th, due to Brazilian Law 11,901 that regulates the profession, June 2nd, Brazilian Firefighter’s Day, and May 4th, International Firefighter’s Day.
Researcher Teacher Ivan Campos de Carvalho
National Council of Self-Regulation of Civilian Firefighters - CNBC Brazil
Technical Details
Stamp issue N. 4
Art: Adriana Shibata
Print system: offset and embossing
Paper: gummed chalky paper
Sheet with 30 stamps
Facial value: 1st class rate for domestic mail
Issue: 240,000 stamps
Design area: 25 x 35mm
Stamp dimensions: 30 x 40mm
Perforation: 12 x 11.5
Date of issue: May 4th, 2022
Places of issue: Brasília/DF, Fortaleza/CE, São Paulo/SP and Porto Velho/RO
Printing: Brazilian Mint