Filenews 19 May 2021 by Angelos Nikolaou
A different way has been chosen this year by the Department of Forestry with the aim of reminding, raising awareness and more effectively involving citizens, especially young people, in the efforts made to protect forests.
As part of the annual event of the "Forest Protection Week", which was established this year for the period 17 to 23 May, the air firefighting base in Mammari was inaugurated yesterday. As is well known, air firefighting operations to date are carried out by Larnaca, Akrotiri and Paphos airports. From this summer season the planes will also operate from the Mammari air-fire base.
This year's fire season is particularly difficult. On the one hand are the pandemic conditions of the coronavirus that we experience and on the other hand the factors that contribute to the explosion and expansion of forest fires.
The Department of Forestry will be thrown into battle, better organized than in recent years. However, whatever he line up, he alone cannot achieve the great goal of protecting forests from fires. Cooperation and mutual assistance with all the services involved in forest firefighting is a given. Awareness is also needed in any activities we do outdoors and especially in cottages, completely avoiding the use of fire or tools such as welding and spark-generating equipment. In addition, around properties, all appropriate preventive measures should be taken with grills, ovens, pumping stations and electro-turbines.
The main causes of forest fires in Cyprus based on data kept by the Department of Forests are agricultural activities, the burning of garbage, the throwing of lit matches or cigarette butts, the lighting of fire by excursionists for the preparation of food outside the approved areas (excursion and campgrounds), military activities, various activities in properties, lightning strikes and the short circuit of electrical cables.
In particular, based on the statistics of the Department of Forests for the period 2000–2020, the main causes of forest fires are deliberate (24%), followed by agricultural activities (18%) and agricultural activities (18%). and natural lightning (14%). Travellers cause 9% of fires, while from residential activities account for 6%. Military activities and excursionists have 4% respectively, while short circuit electrical cables 3%. Another 2% of the causes are the burning of dogs.
In the past year we have had a total of 108 fires, while in 2019 99 fires. The average for 2012–2019 was 101 fires compared to 153 fires in 2000–2019. A total of 1,305 hectares of forest land were lost in 2020 and 33 hectares were lost in 2019. The average for the decade 2000–2019 was 2,221 hectares of burnt land and the average for 2012–2019 was 1,524 hectares. Average burned area per fire in 2020 was 12.1 hectares and in 2019 7.4 hectares.
Fires are the most serious danger to the existence of Cypriot forests. Some factors favouring large fires are high and extreme temperatures, strong winds, dry vegetation and large slopes of forested soils. Each fire causes destruction with short, medium and long-term consequences.
The Department of Forests implements an integrated forest fire management system which includes three main axes: the prevention, detection and suppression of forest fires. This system is constantly being improved and upgraded in line with emerging needs and technological developments.
Continuous alertness is required
A strong appeal to all citizens of the country to avoid actions and activities likely to cause a fire, adding that at the same time everyone is required to be vigilant, for situations that do not arise from negligence, but from intent, addressed yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadis.
He repeated the motto of the director of the Department of Forestry, "No spark" for prevention, "observation with eagle eyes" for detection, "lightning rapid reaction" for suppression, and noted that "all together we can".
The Minister of Agriculture noted that the increased rate of malicious fires observed in recent years, imposes constant alertness and reporting to the competent authorities of any suspicious activity.
Furthermore, Mr. Kadis called on all stakeholders and agencies to renew the commitment to preparedness, coordination and efficiency in the difficult work that is also expected this summer.
The Minister of Agriculture stressed the importance and value of the operation of the air firefighting base, sending the message that we must all understand that our forests are priceless natural wealth and that their effective protection can only be achieved through the joint effort of the State and citizens.
Businesses from Nicosia to Troodos and Pyrgos Tylliria
At the Mammari air-fire base, flight instruments participating in firefighting operations will be re-parked, depending on the proximity of the fire, and will effectively serve the aerial firefighting instruments and make a major contribution to achieving the important role they have to perform.
The operation of the base will make a significant contribution to air firefighting operations in the northern and north-western regions of Troodos, up to and including the Tower of Tylliria, as for the first intervention of the aircraft, in the above areas, time will be saved up to 15 minutes depending on the area of the incident, while between two consecutive fire-fighting equipment throws, the time will be in relation to the three airports , reduced by up to 30 minutes.
The construction of the air channel in the Area of Mammari, named on a Mammari air-fire base, started in 2019 and at the end of 2020 the main projects were completed, at a cost of €1,200,000, including the configuration and coating of the air channel, fencing 3,230 meters long, construction of a water tank with a capacity of 90 tons and its connection to neighbouring drilling, construction of premises for personnel, construction and maintenance of roads , equipment with automatic weather station and wind turbine, as well as connection to the EAC network and internet.
In the next three years, the need to coat the air bus with bitumen material will be assessed, while it is the immediate priorities of the Department of Forests to complete two helicodromes in addition to the air channel for hosting air-fire helicopters in the event of fires, the construction of a fire-fighting stock depot, as well as the installation of a modern fire supply system.
