Critical Communications Operator SIRESP Prepares Fourth Bootcamp and Trains 450 Operatives

With the North Region Bootcamp confirmed for 23 to 27 November and around 450 users trained this summer, SIRESP continues to focus on resilience, interoperability and user capability across the national network.

SIRESP, S.A., the operator of Portugal's national TETRA emergency and security network, held two preparatory meetings in Lisbon on 24 September 2026 for the fourth edition of the SIRESP Bootcamp – North Region, which will take place from 23 to 27 November 2026. The meetings were hosted at the premises of the Order of Engineers – Southern Region. They set out the programme and participation framework for a week-long event that will bring together the national critical communications ecosystem across six municipalities in the north of the country.

Amateur Radio Community Invited to Participate

The day opened with a meeting with Portugal's amateur radio associations. SIRESP presented the Bootcamp and explored how the associations might take part, including a possible contribution to the final exercise. The involvement of the amateur radio community reflects its established role as a supplementary communications resource during major emergencies and infrastructure outages.

Initial Planning Conference Sets Guidelines

The Initial Planning Conference (IPC) followed at 11:00. Lieutenant-General Paulo Viegas Nunes, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIRESP, S.A., presented the strategic guidelines for the fourth edition. The conference was attended by representatives of operational entities, municipalities, industry, network operators, technology companies and higher education institutions, which shows how broad a stakeholder base the Bootcamp now draws on.

SIRESP Innovation Challenge 2026

The session also included the presentation of the SIRESP Innovation Challenge 2026 by Professor Luís Correia of Instituto Superior Técnico. The challenge is aimed at higher education students and seeks to link academic research with the operational demands of critical communications. Participants are invited to develop ideas and solutions that strengthen resilience, interoperability and response capacity in emergency situations. SIRESP describes the initiative as a way to turn knowledge into practical proposals and to help shape the critical communications of the future.

"Digital Blackout 26" Scenario Across Six Northern Cities

The North Region Bootcamp will be held in Braga, Guimarães, Bragança, Chaves, Viana do Castelo and Vila Real. It will involve local, regional and national users of the SIRESP network. The programme combines training, knowledge sharing, technology demonstrations and a field exercise built around the scenario "Digital Blackout 26". That scenario puts the resilience of mission-critical communications at the centre of the week's activities.

SIRESP has invited students, operational entities, companies and partners to follow the Innovation Challenge and contribute to the initiative. The organisation has said that registration details will be announced shortly.

National Training Plan Reaches Figueira da Foz

Alongside preparations for the Bootcamp, SIRESP has continued its national training plan for the SIRESP user community. On 21 and 22 August 2026, the Figueira da Foz Fire Station hosted the latest training session. It was attended by Lieutenant-General Paulo Viegas Nunes; Councillor Manuel Domingues, representing the Mayor of Figueira da Foz; and Nuno Pinto, Commander of the Figueira da Foz Fire Brigade.

Around 450 Operatives Trained in Six Municipalities

The Figueira da Foz session completed a training cycle that began on 23 July 2026. The cycle trained approximately 450 operatives across six municipalities: Castelo Branco, Arganil, Entroncamento, Coimbra, Leiria and Figueira da Foz. At each location, the sessions brought together city councils, parish councils, fire departments, security forces and services, the prison services and the Portuguese Red Cross. The curriculum covered the general principles of the TETRA-based SIRESP network together with hands-on operation of radio terminals and dispatch consoles.

Supporting the DECIR 2026 Wildfire Response

The training cycle was designed to support the Special Device for Fighting Rural Fires (DECIR) 2026, Portugal's national framework for the prevention of and response to rural wildfires. By improving the proficiency of front-line users ahead of and during the fire season, the programme aims to ensure the SIRESP network is used effectively when coordinated multi-agency response matters most.

Together, the North Region Bootcamp and the national training plan reflect SIRESP's continued focus on user capability, stakeholder engagement and network resilience. That focus is becoming more important as emergency services prepare for complex threats, including large-scale communications disruption.