King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain took part in an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of SAMUR, the department of civil protection for the city of Madrid.
The event took place on Tuesday, 22 March, at the Cibeles Palace, the headquarters of the Municipality of Madrid, where Their Majesties were welcomed by a plethora of state and local authorities.
To begin the day, the King and Queen toured an exhibition of vehicles, uniforms and materials, as well as pictures documenting the evolution of the service over the past three decades.
Following the tour, the royal couple managed to establish radio contact with a mobile unit in service to wish them a happy 30th anniversary and to enquire about their work in the field.
It was then time for the institutional part of the event, during which there were interventions from the Mayor of Madrid, the Vice President of SAMUR and, following the projection of two videos, a speech by King Felipe.
In his words, the monarch praised the service for being an essential part of what constitutes the city’s backbone and for being an integral part of the life of Madrid’s citizens.
To finalise the event, both the King and the Queen participated in a meeting with people participating in the event, including some workers from SAMUR.
SAMUR-Civil Protection (SAMUR stands for “Service de Asistencia Municipal de Urgency y Rescate” or “Assistance Municipal Service fro Emergency and Rescue” in English) is a “municipal service of healthcare attention for emergencies,” according to the Royal Household’s website.
Their main objective is to transition from a mere “transport” service to an offer of patient care in the accident site and assisted medical transportation, and they have achieved that goal in their many decades of service.
Their most memorable appearances were during the terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004 and, most recently, during the pandemic.
