Filenews 5 May 2022
The summer season is predicted to be difficult, "after all, we do not have an easy summer season in Cyprus", said the spokesman of the Fire Brigade, Andreas Kettis, adding that public awareness, valid information and everyone's contribution is necessary, "so that we can have an unscathed year because things are indeed dangerous".
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, he talks, among other things, about the increase of urban fires and the reduction of rural fires, he refers to two state-of-the-art drones that the Fire Brigade now has at its disposal and to the additional staffing of the body that is planned, while to ensure aerial means, he says that "over-efforts" are being made.
When asked if, in view of the new summer season, the Fire Brigade is ready to deal with fires, Mr. Kettis replied in the affirmative, saying that especially in the previous period, but also in this period, "we are in a process of maintaining the motorized or other equipment that we have for the fire season".
"Obviously we are ready and we are preparing to staff as we should all the rural stations that we have, as well as to staff the various observatories, which we have, which cover a wide visual range of the countryside for observation purposes, but to organize in cooperation together with all the other repressive services, the Department of Forests, the Police, the Game Fund and all those who contribute to the suppression of fires, to organise a proper patrol system, so that we can also have face-to-face observation in the countryside, but I would say that we started last year and this year we will also use technology to a sufficient extent, I would say, for the purposes of monitoring and early detection of any fire in the countryside and in the forests, which is in the operational responsibility of the Department of Forests", he added.
Asked how many observatories there are, Mr. Kettis said that there are 18 observatories.
"Certainly any observatory can be moved or adjusted on the basis of potential risk," he said. In relation to the patrol program that is planned to take place, he explained that "it is on the basis of the potential risks that exist, i.e. after evaluation and where we observe that there is a frequency of fires or we observe that there may be an increased risk of starting a fire in the specific area or an increased risk of a possible start of a fire and a rapid spread". "So where and where we evaluate accordingly to adjust our tactics," he added.
When observing whether technology, including drones, is also used in observatories, Mr. Kettis said it is a wide range.
"Surely, we will also use the drones we have as a Fire Brigade and we have already trained personnel with two state-of-the-art drones and these will be used both for observation purposes, where we assess that there is a risk, but also for business purposes by providing a real picture in real time and in addition, by evaluating a fire, the boundaries of the fire, where there are live fronts of a fire, so that they are hit by both air and ground forces," he noted.
He further mentioned that immediately after the fire of Arakapas, the President of the Republic gave instructions to make a study on the issue of a holistic program for monitoring both the countryside and forests and early detection of fires.
"Let me say that this study has been completed under the supervision and leadership of the Chief Fire Brigade, Polybio Hadjivassiliou. There has been a presentation with very good impressions and the holistic program, the purpose of the state is to implement it, it is a program, which will take time to be implemented because it is too many things, which must be put into operation and bought in order for this holistic monitoring program to be implemented, but the purpose of the state is to be implemented from this year", Added.
As he said, a preliminary plan has already been made for how it starts to be implemented, with a budget of around €4.5 million, which is a first phase, "because the integrated costs can exceed 20 million"
"It has already been sent to the Ministry of Finance to secure the necessary amount to proceed to the Council of Ministers and this provides for live monitoring of various areas through cameras or other means, so that we have direct contact with the environment and here is the essence: valid detection and valid suppression. This is the philosophy of both prevention and extinguishment", he added.
Fire season
In response to a question when the fire season begins, Mr. Kettis said that the fire season actually starts from May 1st and normally ends at the end of October, "but needless to say that due to the climate crisis, now, these limits are going to be abolished because I can tell you that three years ago, in December, we had a record number of fires".
"If you noticed, the seasons have been abolished due to the climate crisis and we observe it, especially in the fire brigade, because we may be operating even in this period, in severe weather phenomena in one province, in small Cyprus, and in another province to attempt to extinguish fires by aerial means. This in itself demonstrates the climate crisis and how the facts have changed now and it is here that we want people to assimilate it and be prepared, throughout the year for both eventualities," he added.
When asked what climate changes have changed in terms of how a fire develops since its event and what it is that last year's big fire in mountainous Larnaca and Limassol has taught, Mr. Kettis said that the behaviour of an agroforestry fire has changed dramatically and this change is a coincidence of many factors.
"I mean the dry flammable matter that now exists in the countryside, we had a very good year. Obviously the dry flammable material will be and is very large, the low humidity that exists in various areas and especially in the summer season, the morphology of the ground, which drastically affects the evolution of a fire, with various phenomena that develop, the winds that develop, which for the Fire Brigade is the worst enemy, the downwinds, the lifting winds. All these factors are very, very dangerous when they grow together," he noted.
Fire elements
In response to a question, how many incidents of fires the Fire Brigade assisted in last year's period, Mr. Kettis said that last year's period we had 12,333 calls that included urban fires, rural fires, special services and some false calls, which are not always malicious or with ill intent.
"The 7,383 calls were urban fires, 4,474 were rural fires and the rest were special services. This in itself proves the multifaceted and multidimensional work of the Fire Brigade and this is where people must understand that the Fire Brigade is not a Service, which manages only rural fires or forest fires, as we always act together with the Department of Forests and vice versa. We have urban fires, we have technological or other disasters, chemical, radioactive materials, road accidents, mountain rescues, rescues from a liquid element, rescues from high-rise buildings, fires in high-rise buildings, fires in industries, handicrafts, rescues for any other purpose, work accidents, etc. We are trying our best to be correct and constructive in extinguishing the fires of the countryside as well", he noted.
Asked what is the main cause of the fires, Mr. Kettis said that 92% to 93% behind each fire is human activity specifically for rural fires, but also over 90% for urban fires.
He noted that there has been an increase in urban fires since last year amounting to 20.51%, while in rural fires there was a decrease of about 6% to 6.5% from last year, but, as he said, "we had a dramatic increase in damage, that is, it was around 600 thousand euros of damage last year, while as we recorded this year we exceeded 18.5 million. damages this year and if we take the general assessment as it was recorded by the Ministries of the fire of Arakapas and some other fires that were nearby, have exceeded the state 120 million. euro of damage in 2020-2021".
"And we conclude that anything you invest in prevention is minimal, in amount of money I mean, when you get a fire and it develops like this particular fire that evolved last year. What we invest in prevention I think is an investment for both the state and everyone," he added.
Regarding this year, Mr. Kettis said that the general assessment of the period "you realize we are at the beginning of the fire season". "So, obviously, any assessment and evaluation of damages or monetary or damages to properties, etc., will definitely be done by the end of the fire season," he noted.
When asked whether in fires that were maliciously set, those who raised them have been identified, Mr. Kettis said that it is not easy to identify, but nevertheless, several have been identified and several have been convicted.
In response to a question whether they will have a meeting with all the services involved, he said they are in contact with the services involved.
"We are currently in active contact because there are the issues of deforesting and I would like to take this opportunity to say that the deforesting needs to be expedited. And I would like to ask the District Administrations and the Community Councils and the Municipalities and the Public Works to proceed immediately with the deforestations. And to expedite in areas that are potentially dangerous within cities, near industrial areas, near stadiums. To expedite the deforestations within the Municipalities, within plots of land", he underlined.
Fire Brigade Staffing
Regarding whether the staffing of the Fire Brigade is considered satisfactory, Mr. Kettis said that no one will say that the staffing is satisfactory.
"Nevertheless, in the last three years the Fire Brigade has hired more than 100 firefighters and a new recruitment is planned – and I am talking about professional firefighters – in the process that runs with the police, because when the proclamation was made we were until then with the Police, we had not become autonomous," he said.
"After many efforts by both the Administration and the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, other positions have been secured, around 120 for 2020-2023. So, I think we will get to a good level of staffing when all this is implemented. Sure, there are vacancies. We are at 80 by this period, by the end of the year, the vacancies may go up to 88, but within this package, we are covered in terms of filling the posts to some extent," he added.
Over-efforts are being made for aerial means
Asked how much the war in Ukraine affects the efforts as Cyprus to have at our disposal all the means of firefighting, such as flying, Mr. Kettis said that "first of all the issue of securing the aerial means and I mean for the tenders, which run and ran in other years, is something that is managed by the Department of Forests. Nevertheless, we are in contact with the Department of Forests."
"What I can say is that there is an over-the-top effort. Certainly, there are the aerial means, which Cyprus has. The two aircraft of the Department of Forests, the helicopters of the Police and the National Guard that can be used. There is this direct contact and two-way mutual assistance with the British Bases, which on many occasions have given us assistance in terms of aerial means. Apart from that, however, I would like to say that it seems that two more aircraft are being filled by Spain, by the Department of Forests, and efforts are being made to secure two helicopters. Over-efforts are being made by the Department of Forests and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development so that we can fill this gap, which was caused by the sanctions imposed on Russia," he noted.
The summer season is predicted to be difficult
In a message ahead of the summer season, Mr. Kettis said that the summer season is predicted to be difficult, "after all, we do not have an easy summer season in Cyprus".
"We as Services, know that we will try and strive the maximum, but certainly without the help and contribution of the public nothing can be easy and as far as prevention issues related to the early detection of a fire, the valid notification of a fire to the Fire Brigade to respond whether it may be urban or it may be rural or forest. Therefore, public awareness, valid information and everyone's contribution is necessary so that we can have an unscathed year because things are really dangerous", he concluded.
