<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Mr. Tournas pointed out that the vast majority of fires continue to be caused by human negligence. As he noted, \u201c85% are due to negligence,\u201d adding that more than 1,100 fires have already broken out since the start of the fire season.<\/p>\n
Referring to this summer\u2019s weather conditions, the minister explained that the most significant factors increasing the risk are prolonged heat waves, the increased amount of flammable material created by heavy rainfall in the winter and spring, and the meltemi winds. As he said, \u201cthat\u2019s usually when we start,\u201d referring to the second ten-day period of July, a period during which the most challenging conditions for the outbreak and spread of wildfires traditionally occur.<\/p>\n
Planning <\/h3>\n Mr. Tournas also referred to the new National Fire Risk Assessment Map, which identifies the areas at highest risk, from Thrace and Eastern Macedonia to Euboea, Attica, eastern Central Greece, the eastern Peloponnese, and the islands of the Eastern Aegean, noting that in these areas, special emphasis is placed on both prevention and operational readiness.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
He made special mention of the reinforcement of aerial firefighting resources, noting that this year a total of approximately 80 aircraft are in operation, of which 51 are leased and about 30 are domestic. As he emphasized, this is \u201cthe largest aviation fleet we have,\u201d which significantly enhances surveillance and the immediate initial response to fires. At the same time, he noted that the first new Canadair aircraft ordered by the country is expected to be delivered in 2028, with deliveries to be completed by 2031.<\/p>\n
When asked about the operational challenges of the fire season, he emphasized that planning is always based on the worst-case scenario. \u201cWe must prepare for the worst-case scenario,\u201d he noted, pointing out that the mechanism\u2019s effectiveness depends on readiness, timely mobilization, and the proper allocation of resources.<\/p>\n
The Contribution of Volunteers<\/h3>\n The minister spoke about the contribution of Civil Protection volunteers, emphasizing that more than 5,500 certified volunteers and approximately 240 volunteer organizations are actively involved in operational planning. As he said, \u201cWe count them as part of the team,\u201d since they are an integral part of the mechanism for both monitoring and fighting fires. At the same time, he referred to initiatives to support volunteers, such as the provision of full personal protective equipment and the regulation regarding registration fees for their vehicles, while, as he said, efforts are underway to find an appropriate funding mechanism to cover fuel costs during operations.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Regarding the reinforcement of the Fire Department, Mr. Tournas announced that by the end of this week or early next week, a new call for applications will be published to recruit 600 firefighters on seven-year contracts, as part of the strategic plan to strengthen personnel. As he noted, of the 13,000 permanent staff members the Fire Department had when the ministry was established, its staffing levels are being gradually increased, and as part of this plan, 21 Special Forest Operations Units (EMODE) were created, among other measures.<\/p>\n
Regarding firefighters\u2019 salaries, he noted that raises have already been granted through the special pay scale, while he reiterated \u201cthe government\u2019s commitment to continuing its financial support for them.\u201d \u201cOur intention is to secure the necessary resources, as much as we can, to boost the income of our firefighters,\u201d he stated, while also noting \u201cthe additional pay for extra duties during the wildfire season, as well as the special bonus granted at the end of each year.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also placed particular emphasis on prevention efforts, noting that more than 765,000 declarations of land clearing have been recorded this year. However, he stressed that the effort does not end with the expiration of the relevant deadline. \u201cPreventive actions by all of us\u2014citizens, municipalities, and the Ministry of Environment and Energy\u2014must continue,\u201d he said, adding that prevention is an ongoing process throughout the year.<\/p>\n
The minister also referred to the use of new technologies for the early detection of fires, noting that in Attica alone, 33 drones are in operation, monitoring mountain ranges and vulnerable areas, while ground and aerial patrols are being stepped up based on the daily risk index, with the goal of intervening as quickly as possible within the first few minutes of a fire breaking out.<\/p>\n
The full interview<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The fire defense plan, featuring a reinforced firefighting fleet, surveillance drones, and operational readiness throughout the country. The …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}