Our history

It was 1997 when the Founding Associate of the National Civil Intervention Body, João António Correia Martins, joined the Portuguese Association of Radio Emergency - C. B. (P. A.  R. E. - C. B.) as an effective member.

Since then, he has had some volunteering experiences in the area of civil protection, such as joining the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department in 1999.

Collaboration with P. A.  R. E. - C. B. was intermittent, due to personal life issues.

However, at that time, there were already questions about the possibility of the foundation of a non-profit association that could dedicate itself to civil protection activities.

In 1998, Law No. 71/98, of November 3, was published (Diário da República No. 254/1998, Series I-A of 1998-11-03, pages 5694 - 5696) which clarified that, In fact, one of the activities that could be developed based on volunteering would be civil protection.

Founding Associate João António Correia Martins tried, at times, to bring together working groups that could allow the creation of a civil protection association.

However, it was only on April 30th, 2008, with the participation of two other founding members, that the National Civil Intervention Body was formed as a humanitarian, non-profit civil protection association.

After the creation of the N. C. I. B., some internal regulations were approved that allowed, for example, the creation of the Installation Commission and its services, and later, the General Command of the National Civil Intervention Corps.

Despite the association's objective purpose of providing civil protection services, it was felt, over time, that the National Civil Intervention Body could support populations, not only in case of emergency, but also in other situations that, although not urgent, were also relevant.

Thus, on September 29th, 2021, an amendment was made to the statutes of the National Civil Intervention Bpdy which, added to civil protection activities, development cooperation, civil emergency planning, humanitarian aid and emergency aid activities and equally assuming as its own the fundamental humanitarian principles, established in international documents, of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and it assumed itself as a Non-Governmental Humanitarian Agency.