In an interview with Action24, Giannis Kefalogiannis spoke about the preparation of a new bill that will include positive provisions for firefighters, while also providing some statistics regarding this year’s fire season.

“It is very likely that we will have good news for firefighters in the coming days. This is a bill with a series of favorable provisions for firefighters, and it is already under consultation,” said the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

He went on to talk about the firefighters who will be deployed this year in the fight against wildfires, emphasizing that there will be four additional forest command units.

“This year, 18,000 men and women from the Fire Service—permanent, five-year contract, and seasonal—will be on duty. In comparison, in 2019 there were 14,000, so we’re looking at a 30% increase in personnel. Compared to last year, we have four more forest commando units operating in Chalkida, Chania, Ilia, and Zakynthos. In total, we will have 20 forest commando units,” he said.

He continued: “We will have double the number of surveillance drones compared to last year. Last year, 45 drones were in operation; this year, there will be 82, and they will be deployed not only in Attica but across the entire country. This is a donation from HEDNO (the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator) to the Ministry, which includes the drones, operators, and maintenance. As a result, we will have 24-hour drone surveillance equipped with thermal cameras that can detect smoke in real time. This means that even before a fire breaks out, a signal will be sent to the Operations Center so that aerial and ground forces can respond in time.”

He also added: “As for volunteer firefighters, this year we will have 800 more. Last year there were 4,200; this year, there will be 5,000. The number of certified Civil Protection volunteers will also nearly double compared to last year.”