Kefalogiannis: 1,070 new hires in the Fire Service next year, 18,000 active personnel this year

“We already person 1,070 caller hires successful the Fire Service for the coming year.” With this wide message, the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannis, speaking connected SKAI’s amusement “Atairiastoi”, placed strengthening quality resources and upgrading the Fire Service astatine the apical of his agenda.

He reminded that “this year, we operated with the historically highest fig of firefighters—both imperishable and seasonal—totaling 18,000 personnel.”
Regarding organization enactment for seasonal firefighters, helium clarified:
“Let maine constituent out—we’re talking astir the seasonal firefighters who, for the archetypal clip this year, moved from six-month to eight-month contracts for 5 years. In different words, their declaration volition present past 8 months for the adjacent 5 years.”

He besides emphasized leveraging their acquisition successful imperishable recruitment processes:
“These seasonal firefighters, whether we’re talking astir EMODE (the Special Forestry Firefighting Units) oregon PETH (Firefighters nether Term Service), person accrued scoring successful the recruitment process. This is precisely due to the fact that we privation to pull their acquisition into the imperishable force.”
He added regarding EMODE’s composition:
“For example, successful EMODE, 90% of the unit travel from the seasonal ranks.”

The Minister went connected to spot this year’s wildfire play and its outcomes successful a European context, highlighting comparative information and operational challenges.
“This twelvemonth successful Europe, wildfire demolition was 3 times higher than the 20-year average: 10 cardinal hectares compared to astir 3 million.”
Despite these utmost conditions, helium stressed that “Greece, on with Croatia, is 1 of the lone countries successful the EU beneath the 20-year average. So, this shows that, comparatively speaking—and contempt a precise hard summer—we performed overmuch amended than different countries.”

Mr. Kefalogiannis besides pointed retired that the occurrence play is inactive progressive and requires continued vigilance until it officially ends:
“Technically, it lasts until the extremity of October, and it’s important not to hide that. We’ve had wildfire incidents successful October successful past years, truthful we request maximum attraction until then.”

In closing, the Minister outlined the government’s mentation strategy for the upcoming wintertime season, focusing connected coordination with section governments and intelligibly defined responsibilities.
“Starting past week, we initiated coordination meetings with each the Regions—initially online—where we provided wide instructions and highlighted priorities. This includes matters specified arsenic ensuring each Regions person brackish supplies, signing work contracts for snow-clearing equipment, and clarifying responsibilities erstwhile a upwind lawsuit hits.”

He noted that the effort volition widen nationwide:
“Yesterday I had the accidental to sojourn Lamia for a coordination gathering circumstantial to Central Greece, and by the extremity of the month, this process volition instrumentality spot crossed each country of the country, successful each Region. Both I and the Deputy Minister volition question crossed the full country.”