- – Which municipalities have been declared in a state of special mobilization.
- – Revealing documents on the delays. Services are running and not arriving.
- – Municipalities with serious spatial problems still have no plan to evacuate citizens.
- – Organic vacancies in the Fire Department amount to about 3,600 positions. What the experts say.
by Vangelis Triantis
Delays are noted for yet another year in terms of the preparation of the state mechanism for this year’s fire season which has begun on May 1st.
Although the situation has improved in terms of ground and aerial firefighting resources, however, gaps in the Fire Brigade remain, with shortages amounting to 3,600.
There have also been significant delays on the part of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, with regard to circulars to the competent bodies on a number of issues, such as evacuation plans, deforestation, etc. It is noteworthy that the guidelines and the update of the plans were issued at the end of last April.
That is a few days before the fire season started. As a result, even today, municipalities have not completed the cleaning and evacuation plans, despite the fact that we are in the heart of summer.
On 28 April 2023, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection transmitted to a number of state bodies (Decentralized Administrations, Regions, Municipalities, and Ministries) the 5th edition of the “Emergency Response Plan for Forest Fires” with the code name “IOLAOS 2“.
The plan has been prepared in the framework of the General Civil Protection Plan, code-named “Xenocrates“. A few months ago, the Directorate for Emergency Planning of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection considered that it was “necessary to update and revise the IOLAOS plan”. The reason was that since the 4th edition of the plan, there had been “administrative and organizational changes in central administration bodies (renaming of ministries, changes in the affiliation of bodies, etc.). The IOLAOS plan is of particular importance for fire protection planning. Its aim is “the immediate and coordinated response of the bodies involved at a central, regional and local level, to support the work of the Fire Brigade in suppressing forest fires, for the effective response to emergencies caused by forest fires and the immediate management of their consequences, actions aimed at the protection of life, health and property of citizens, as well as the protection of the natural environment, the country’s resources, and infrastructure”, as underlined.
(pdf ΕΔΩ)
The IOLAOS project includes a number of obligations for stakeholders. For example, Regions are required to proceed as soon as possible “to update the Civil Protection Plan for Emergency Response and Immediate/Rapid Management of the Consequences of Forest Fires”.
The same applies to the Municipalities and the Decentralized Administrations. It raises questions as to why the General Secretariat for Civil Protection proceeded to update the IOLAOS plan at the end of April.
Clearing of dry grasses
On April 18, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection decided to declare an emergency situation of Special Mobilization, in certain municipalities in the country.
Among these are the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermi, the Municipality of Acharnes-Thrakomakedones, the Municipality of Peania-Glyka Nera, the Municipality of Dionysos, the Municipality of Saronikos, the Municipality of Markopoulos, the Municipality of Marathon, etc.
These are municipalities that in the summer months often face fire problems. The decision of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection was taken because it was considered necessary to “launch and accelerate projects and works for the fire season of this year, in the above-mentioned municipalities. The special mobilization status was to apply for two months, in particular until June 18.
During this period, clean-up operations were to have been launched in various areas, in particular ‘in the forest/urban/residential mixing zone for the protection of urban complexes from an impending forest fire, in areas of special and very high protection (groves, parks, etc.), on either side along the road network passing through forests and woodlands, etc.”.
As underlined in the relevant decision of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, “the projects and works to be launched on the basis of this decision, includes the immediate removal of vegetation clearing debris that is carried out for the same reasons by owners in the surrounding areas of houses and land, the maintenance and improvement of the existing forest road network, the maintenance of existing firebreaks, the maintenance of fire hydrants, as well as any other work deemed necessary.”
However, in order for these works to proceed, “prior consultation and cooperation between the above-mentioned municipalities and the competent Forestry Services per Region is necessary”. This is no easy task. It is typical that clean-ups proceed while the fire season has started, instead of being completed by then.
Delayed instructions
On April 18, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection also issued “guidelines” for the organized preventive evacuation of citizens for protection against ongoing or imminent disasters due to forest fires and instructions for the preparation of special plans in the context of the implementation of Art. 23 par. 4 of Law 4662/2020″.
The instructions were addressed to the Decentralized Administrations, the Regions, the Union of Greek Regions, the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities, etc.
Essentially, the Local Authorities, both in the first and second degree, were required to draw up a special plan for the evacuation of citizens in case of fire. The only exception was the large municipalities in the country.
In order to draw up these special plans, a “working group should initially be set up under the responsibility of the mayors, headed by the person responsible for civil protection issues in the municipality (responsible Deputy Mayor, etc.) and including representatives of the locally competent police, fire, health (representative of the ambulance, health center, etc.) and coast guard for coastal or island municipalities”.
The delay in issuing the circular by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection resulted in delays for the municipalities. For example, the Municipality of Marathon met on May 16 in order to set up a working group on the drafting of the “Special Plan for the Organized Preventive Evacuation of Citizens of the Municipality of Marathon”.
In this context, they sent a letter to the Presidents of the Communities, “in order to submit in writing their proposals for escape routes and suitable reception, temporary shelter, housing, and administrative care places as well as good knowledge of their area”. If the General Secretariat of Civil Protection had sent the guidelines earlier, the Municipality of Marathon would have also moved earlier.
(pdf ΕΔΩ)
Andrianos Gourbatsis is a former Deputy Chief of the Fire Brigade, Lieutenant General (retired), and a forensic expert witness. From time to time he has written numerous studies on forest fires.
“For yet another fire season, the Civil Protection Mechanism is unprepared to deal with the risk of forest fires. This is because both the 5th Edition of the General Emergency Plan due to Forest Fires DARDANOS of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, and the Circular Instruction of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection to the Local Authorities of the first and second degree for the Preventive Organized Evacuation of Citizens from Forest Fires, was issued only a few days before the beginning of the fire season so that the local authorities and other involved Civil Protection Bodies even today (almost in the middle of the fire season) have not completed their planning.
And all this because there is no institutionalized relevant legal framework of Civil Protection Audit Mechanism and compliance control procedure and sanctions for failure to comply in time with the Circulars and Plans of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection,” stresses to Data Journalists the former deputy chief of the Fire Department.
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(pdf ΕΔΩ)
(pdf ΕΔΩ)
3,600 vacant posts in the Fire Brigade
In terms of logistical equipment, the total fleet of ground vehicles for 2023 is slightly increased for this year compared to last year.
Specifically, fire trucks total 3,654, compared to 3,410 in 2022. Of these, 2,079 are water trucks, 1,345 are auxiliary, and 230 are of special purpose. Regarding the human resources of the Fire Brigade that will again fight the battle of the fires this year, they amount to 14,040. Of these, 8,784 are permanent personnel, 2,320 are five-year personnel, 500 are smoke jumpers and 2,436 are seasonal firefighters.
To these should be added 4,185 volunteer firefighters, which is almost double the number in 2021. However, despite the increase in the number of Firefighters and meeting needs in terms of logistical equipment, the number of Firefighters is not sufficient for the firefighting needs of our country. It is noteworthy that there are approximately 3,600 vacancies in the Fire Brigade.
Given the extreme conditions that our country has been experiencing in recent years due to climate change, it is essential that they be filled immediately. Besides, it is the ground forces that bear the main burden of extinguishing fires with the help of airborne means. Kostas Tsigas is a firefighter and president of the Firefighters’ Officers’ Association, with several years of experience in the Corps. He describes to Data Journalists the prevailing conditions for this summer.
As he points out, in terms of logistical equipment, “this year we are at a very good level”. But in relation to the issue of personnel, he claims that there are about 3,600 vacant organic posts.
“Recently, the organic strength of the Fire Department was also increased by 3,600 firefighters due to increased obligations and needs in the context of strengthening the mechanism of Civil Protection of our country.
We expect to gradually cover these vacancies, so as to reduce both the average age of the Greek firefighter and the overtime of the personnel already serving,” he points out.
A few days ago the order for the allocation of air assets
However, the number of aerial means available to our country this year has also increased compared to previous years. In particular, the national air assets amount to 40. These are CL-415, CL-215, PZL, and CH-47 aircraft. As for the leased aircraft, these amount to 49. These are heavy and medium aircraft, personnel transport vessels, etc.
Similarly, in 2022 the total number of air assets amounted to 83, in 2021 to 76, and in 2019 to 61. Despite the sufficiency of air assets, there was no shortage of delays in terms of general preparation.
It is noteworthy that the order for the Aircraft Management Code was issued only a few days ago in the heart of summer. According to ‘sources’ in the firefighting field, this order is particularly important as it allocates air assets around the country so that they are ready to intervene in the event of a fire.
Gurbatsis even stands on another issue that has to do with the suitability of some of the air assets that the country leases.
“The Fire Department has never conducted an Operational Feasibility and Effectiveness Study of the Airborne Firefighting Assets for the operating environment in Greece. As a result, aircraft are also leased unsuitable or at least ineffective due to their technical characteristics and capabilities for fires in the Territory,” the former deputy chief of the Fire Brigade stresses to Data Journalists.
For example, the Air Tractor aircraft, cannot take water from seas with little waves due to Beaufort. As far as our country is concerned, they can be used for aerial surveillance for example in Attica, but when the wind intensity is high they can only take water from lakes.
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