Sofia Voultepsi commented on the large wildfires burning in Greece for hours, saying she believes a concerted effort is needed to increase the number of volunteer firefighters.

“I believe Greece lags behind in the matter of volunteers, despite the laws that various governments have passed over the years. Germany has 1,000,000 personnel available for firefighting—935,000 are volunteers and 65,000 are permanent staff,” she said in an interview with Mega.

“Austria has 345,000 personnel, and only 2,500 of them are permanent,” she explained, adding: “Given the current situation, I think instead of making laws about uniforms, we need to fight to increase the numbers, because volunteers help. We see that wherever patrols take place, things are easier.”

When the journalist remarked that a state cannot rely on volunteers, Ms. Voultepsi responded by giving the example of America:

“It does rely on them—75% in America are volunteers,” she concluded.