Cyprus ready for wildfire season, says agriculture minister
Fact: The primary focus of the exercise was to assess the effectiveness of the national firefighting strategy ‘Hephaestus’ for large forest fire suppression.
forest firefighting
Greece forest fire fighting unit trains SupportCY volunteers
Fact: The First EMODE of the Hellenic Fire Brigade trained Bank of Cyprus SupportCY volunteers on fire laws, fire risk assessment, wildland Urban Interface, fire suppression methods, fire zone construction, and scene safety.
British Bases contributing to Limassol forest firefighting efforts
A fire broke out in the Limassol State Forest at 9:50 a.m. today. Firefighting crews, including ground forces, aircraft, and helicopters, are currently working to extinguish the blaze. The Minister of Agriculture is on her way to the scene. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Eight aircraft to combat fires
The Forestry Department plans to combat fires this year with eight aircraft and over 800 forest firefighters, anticipating challenges due to climate change. A tender for leasing two firefighting aircraft, with an option for two more, has been issued with a €19.3 million budget, valid until 2027. These aircraft can carry up to 3,000 liters of water and 60 liters of foam, with the additional two carrying up to 2,500 liters of water and the same amount of foam. Currently, two of the department’s aircraft are not operational due to maintenance and repairs, but there are two leased helicopters and additional helicopters from the National Guard, Police, and potentially from Jordan and the British Bases for emergencies. The deputy director of the Forestry Department, Savvas Iezekiel, mentioned the impact of climate change and wars on the availability of firefighting aircraft and stated plans to purchase aircraft through the Recovery and Resilience Plan and national funds to reduce reliance on leased aircraft.
Union welcomes extension of forest fire season
The trade union Oekdy-Sek expressed satisfaction with the government’s decision to extend the forest firefighting season from six to eight months. This decision will also result in several stations being staffed with forest firefighters throughout the year, starting from April 1. During the four months outside the forest firefighting season, firefighting shifts will operate at 50% strength at six to eight stations to cover the island’s forested areas. The shift work during these months will be voluntary, and interested firefighters must express their wish in writing. The working hours in the shift system will be distributed equally among those who opt in. This agreement was reached after several months of discussion and at the request of forest firefighters who are members of trade unions. The early staffing of the forest fire brigade has improved response times, coordination, equipment troubleshooting, and training.