The operational doctrine applied last year will serve as a guide this year, with rapid response to the field being one of the main axes. The strategy expected to be followed by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection during the upcoming wildfire period, which starts on May 1st, is summarized in the three-part formula of fewer ignition sources, quick delimitation of fires as they occur, and holistic approach to large wildfires.

According to data made public this year, the firefighting forces consist of more than 18,000 (15,500 permanent, 2,500 seasonal) firefighters. This number, as reported by the political leadership of the ministry, and emphasized by the Prime Minister during the recent meeting at the ministry, is higher than ever before and has increased by 20% from 2023. The forces include forest ranger units, consisting of 1,600 people, and the Special Forest Operations Units (EMODE) will reach 20 (4 additional units based in Chania, Ilia, Evia, and Zakynthos). Specifically, the 4 new EMODE units are expected to be staffed with 163 people and 52 in Chalkida, 42 in Chania, 45 in Pyrgos, and 24 in Zakynthos.

In parallel, the European Firefighters Prepositioning Program will be implemented this year as well – a total of 294 European firefighters from Czech Republic, France, Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria will be stationed in Greece to support their Greek colleagues in the fight against forest fires.

The number of volunteers is also expected to increase, as according to data published by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, there will be 4,912 volunteers from the Fire Brigade and 5,700 volunteers from the Civil Protection, coming from 295 organizations.

Regarding the aerial means available to the country this year, as announced by the Civil Protection, there will be a total of 80-85 aircraft, including 49 rented ones.

Concerning the fleet of vehicles, it is expected to reach approximately 3,700 units. The number of drones has also increased in comparison to last year, with a total of 82 units available to the Civil Protection (45 last year) for aerial surveillance, aiming for early warning and prevention of fires.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system is expected to be expanded to new high-risk areas such as Crete, Rhodes, and the Northern Aegean islands. It is worth noting that during last year’s wildfire period, it was deployed in areas such as Attica, Corinthia, Arcadia, Boeotia, Laconia, Evia, Thessaloniki, the Valtos National Forest Park, the Evros River, the Diavata River, Xanthi and Thasos. Furthermore, it was used for surveillance of high-risk zones such as the periurban areas of Thessaloniki, the forest areas of Western Greece, and the protected areas of Epirus.

Meanwhile, another crucial aspect for prevention will be the clearance of private properties with a deadline that was extended until June 15th.

At the same time, the implementation of the AntiNero program for clearance and creation of firebreaks in forest areas is progressing. Also, the clearing of high-voltage power network areas passing through forest areas and interventions at archaeological sites are taking place.

Closing
Finally, emphasis will be placed on interoperability and collaboration between all involved stakeholders during this year’s wildfire season.