40 Romanian firefighters join forces involved in fighting wildfires in Greece

40 Romanian firefighters join forces involved in fighting wildfires in Greece.

The number of Romanian firefighters involved in fighting forest fires in Greece will be supplemented by 40 additional specialist firefighetrs, according to a decision approved by the National Committee for Emergency Situations, told Agerpres.

Of the 40 specialist firefighters with the Department for Emergency Situations, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and subordinate units, 30 will travel by air and 10 by land. The latter will travel in three forest firefighting vehicles, a 10,000-litre water tanker and a 4x4 vehicle (Duster).

The decision follows a request from the authorities of the Hellenic Republic, sent on Tuesday through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the preamble to the decision states.

"If necessary, the unit will be supplemented by a mobile accommodation camp. The air transport of the 30 specialists (...) will be carried out with the support of the Ministry of National Defence. The funds necessary for the execution of the international assistance mission will be allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, with the exception of accommodation and meals, which will be provided by the Greek authorities," reads the text of the decision.

On 14 July, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations announced that a contingent of 40 firefighters had left for Greece to replace the personnel who, over the last two weeks, have supported the Greek authorities by monitoring fire-risk areas in eastern Athens.