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A contingent of 40 firefighters went to Greece to replace the forces that, in the last two weeks, supported the Greek authorities by monitoring the areas at risk of fire in the east of Athens.
"The first contingent, which totals 40 firefighters, will return to the country after handing over to colleagues from the second shift the eight special vehicles deployed on Greek territory - three special vehicles for extinguishing forest fires, a tanker, a special vehicle fire extinguisher with a capacity of 10,000 l, a minibus and two special vehicles for first intervention and command, so as to ensure the continuity of actions in the event of situations that require the intervention of our crews," informs a press release from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) sent to AGERPRES on Friday.
In the last 15 days, the 40 firefighters in Greece familiarized themselves with the terrain and the conditions specific to the interventions, carrying out patrols in the fire risk areas.
"These activities have strengthened our reaction and preparation capacities in the event of emergency situations, which can endanger the life and assets of the community. In parallel, our colleagues held training and preparation sessions with the Greek teams, highlighting the essentials aspects of a quick and effective intervention in the case of fires," the quoted source shows.
During the support mission, no large-scale fires were recorded in the areas of eastern Athens.
"We are proud of the professionalism and dedication of our firefighters who took part in this mission. They represented our country with dignity and demonstrated our solidarity and support to the Greek authorities. We continue to remain vigilant and ready to intervene in any emergency situation to ensures that people feel safe and protected," IGSU reports.
Between July 1 and August 1, the Department for Emergency Situations within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, through the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, joins in with a specialized national module for extinguishing forest fires organized by the General Directorate of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations - DG ECHO, in order to strengthen the resilience of the Greek authorities in managing this type of risk.
The assistance program is funded by the EU and was formed as a support measure for Greek communities, following the devastating fires recorded in 2021. It is part of the new EU policy to limit forest fires in southern Europe and brings together firefighting teams from several countries.
AGERPRES
