Prevention and cooperation are the keys to dealing with the repercussions of the climate crisis and for better preparing civil defence mechanisms for the upcoming fire season, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides said on Monday
Stylianides made the statement before the start of a joint meeting of the fire brigade and forestry service for the Attica region, also attended by Deputy Environment Minister Giorgos Amyras.
Amyras said that the two ministries, the fire brigade and forestry service will over the next few days clear 4,000 hectares of critical forest ecosystems as a fire prevention measure, opening up 1,600 kilometres of fire break zones and taking steps to maintain and widen a forest road network of 16,000 kilometres.
Both ministers focused on the launch of cooperation between the fire brigade and forestry service for the first time in 24 years:
"This was the main prevention measure, to bring them together so that they can work with each other in the field. It was shown that the forestry services and the fire brigade were in fact the main factors in the management of forests and the management of all phases of the fires. All the meetings proved that these two bodies can cooperate both before, during and after fires in an excellent way. I consider that this was the best we could do after 24 years of inaction. We feel that we are heading better prepared in a difficult fire season. Prevention and collaboration are the two axes," Stylianides said.
The minister noted that there had been more fires this season than in previous years but that the area burnt was less, indicating that "there is a preparation that is carried out better and is based on collaboration of the fire brigade and forestry services."
He said the next step would be to develop this cooperation on a local level, as well as reinforcing the fleet of fire-fighting aircraft, while warning that a difficult summer lay ahead.
Amyras stressed the need for responsibility on an individual and local government level to protect forest ecosystems, noting that 95 pct of fires in Greece were caused by human negligence.
"This has to stop. We are ready to fight the battle. The climate crisis is here, unfortunately, and baring its teeth but we are doing everything we can to face it," he said.
The meeting in Attica concludes a round of similar meetings held in Thessaloniki, Larissa, Patras, Ioannina, Crete and Athens.