Filenews 21 April 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The department of forests' second attempt to lease two helicopters for firefighting purposes fell on deaf ears this year. The second bidding process was cancelled the day before yesterday, so other solutions are now being sought, so that during the new fire season we will have the two additional options for firefighting from the air.
According to information provided by "F" by the Department of Forests, during the second tender for the lease of two firefighting helicopters, only one bid was submitted which was judged to be out of specification, since it did not submit a guarantee. Following this development, the tender was cancelled and now the contracting authority will contact the Tenders Board in order to secure permission to start direct negotiations with the company that submitted a tender with the aim of having firefighting helicopters in the summer.
In recent years the Republic has leased two Russian Kamov helicopters, but it appears that due to the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia, the company did not submit a bid. It is noted that the first call for expressions of interest for firefighting helicopters was cancelled because it included a condition for the maximum amount to be included in the cost, a condition that was eliminated during the second offer.
The efforts of the Department of Forests to find flying means for the hot summer months are continuous, since our country should not be left without additional air cover to extinguish fires, we were told by the Department of Forests. However, it is estimated that the problem concerns the limited supply in relation to the increased demand for such means. As the Director of the Department of Forests, Charalambos Alexandrou, had recently stated, in order to be ready for the period of high risk of causing and spreading fires, preparations are beginning from the end of last year.
Now the green light will be expected from the Tenders Board to start negotiations with the only company that has shown interest, to see if there will be a conclusion. According to the same information a decision can be expected to come out after mid-May so that the two firefighting helicopters will be available before the summer months.
Meanwhile, the process for the purchase of two firefighting planes is underway. The offer ends on April 27. On the positive side with the means of firefighting is that this year there will be for the first time immediately available a helicopter of the National Guard for firefighting purposes.
