Cyprus Mail 9 April 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou
In the midst of the coronavirus the fire service is preparing for a tough fire fighting season, fire department spokesman Andreas Kettis said on Thursday.
Despite the difficulties posed by the coronavirus, it is important to think of fire safety as heavy rains this winter mean there will be an increase in dry flammable material in the summer, he said.
While meetings took place last year to prepare for the summer, these will now take the form of teleconferencing.
On Monday an inter-ministerial meeting is scheduled with the interior, justice, defence and agriculture ministers, chaired by President Nicos Anastasiades.
The teleconferencing session will be attended by all services such as the district administrations, local authorities, the game fund, the forest department, the fire service, police, public works, civil defence and the national guard.
“So, what happened last year through meetings, will be done this year through teleconferences, so that everyone can play their part, whether this is a matter of prevention or whether it is a matter of preparation for material for the needs of the firefighting season. I’m talking about vehicles, aircraft, personnel, and how to train personnel, that is, how we can be properly prepared for the new firefighting season, but also about issues of prevention related to the removal of dry materials, both in the countryside, in forested areas, but also in urban areas,” he said.
Because there is a virus, fires don’t cease to errupt, Kettis added, thus all must be prepared and must be careful, as 92 per cent of all fires are caused by human activity.
