Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Two hundred forty (240) firefighters from Bulgaria, Malta, Moldova, and Romania will be in our country this summer to work alongside their Greek colleagues as part of the Prepositioning Program, which is being implemented for the third consecutive year through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).

The European firefighters, equipped with staffed fire-fighting vehicles, will be deployed gradually from early July to mid-September in three (3) operational bases: Attica, Thessaloniki, and Achaia.

The first team from Bulgaria has been in the operational base of Thessaloniki since yesterday, Monday, July 1, where the 2nd Special Forest Operations Unit is stationed. They will be followed on July 15 by teams from Malta (operational base in Achaia) and Moldova (operational base in Attica).

Having proven the value of European solidarity in practice, the Prepositioning Program of European Firefighters, which was first implemented in Greece in the summer of 2022, is being expanded this year. More countries will participate in sending and receiving firefighters, and more firefighting forces will be involved.

Moreover, Greece participates with a dual role. In addition to welcoming 240 firefighters, it has already sent a team of 25 firefighters from the Special Forest Operations (EMODE) unit, which was deployed from June 15-30 in southern France. It is worth noting that Greece "opened" the Program on June 15 by being the first to send firefighters to France, and it will also "close" the Program on September 15, when the last mission from a participating country (Romania) will be completed. Additionally, the duration of the firefighters' stay in Greece will be longer this year, extending to 2.5 months from the 2 months that applied in previous years.

In total, 12 countries will participate in the Prepositioning Program of European Firefighters for this year's fire season with firefighter missions: Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Estonia (for the first time), Italy (for the first time), Latvia, Malta, Moldova (for the first time), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia (for the first time), and Finland.

These countries will provide a total of 556 firefighters, who will be deployed in Greece, France, Spain (participating as a host country for the first time), and Portugal to assist in tackling forest fires and exchanging expertise.

For the preparation of the Program's implementation in Greece, two training seminars were held at the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection facilities: for Administrative Liaisons and Liaison Officers of Foreign Missions from May 29-31, 2024, and for the team leaders of the incoming groups from June 16-18, 2024.