Filenews 8 June 2024
For the first time, a plan is being put forward for the acquisition of privately owned aircraft, ten in particular, as stated by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Maria Panayiotou.
Asked about the fires and the acquisition of aircraft, Ms. Panayiotou said that climatic conditions have created a new reality regarding the issue of fires.
«We are now talking about more frequent fires and more difficult to extinguish. This means that the management we have had so far has to change," he said.
"It is for this reason that the Department of Forests has proceeded in time to strengthen its ground forces. It has increased its fleet of vehicles with an equipment expenditure of €5.5 million. It has improved its readiness time. As of this year, the Department of Forests, adapted to the new data, has been in operational readiness since April and not since May. It has reinforced the ground forces with cadet trucks and fire engines, and is in operational readiness, a month earlier than in other years," he added.
And for this reason, the Minister of Agriculture continued, this year, for the first time, the eight-month period for forest firefighters is being implemented.
''At the same time, there is also the issue of acquiring the means of flight. We take this as a matter of national security and that is why the recent decision to transfer the Air Assets Unit to the National Guard," he said. Therefore, for the first time, the Minister noted, "a plan is being put forward for the acquisition of ten privately owned aircraft, as the way in which we have dealt with fires so far in the part of flying means, i.e. the leasing of aircraft and crews, this has become insufficient and that is why we are proceeding with the purchase of privately owned means and the upgrading of our own forces."
The Minister of Agriculture also mentioned that the staffing issues that are chronic for the Department of Forests and these are now being resolved through the reopening of the Forestry College, which was closed and after 10 years by decision of the current Government proceeds to its operation from January 1, 2025.
"It is very important to also say that we are in the process of creating a Civil Protection Mechanism," he added.
Asked if they are concerned about the increase in fires recently, Ms. Panayiotou said that what worries us is that there are citizens among us who proceed to deliberately set fires without considering the environmental cost. As I said again, deliberately causing fire and burning forest land is tantamount to taking human life.
"This is unacceptable and it is something that certainly concerns us and that is why the further tightening of legislation and the adoption of a series of other measures to act as a deterrent to this factor are underway. We must all understand that we must avoid any actions that may cause fires," he said. We know, he continued, "that more than 90% of fires are caused by the human factor. It is very important that we have as our allies a section of citizens who make complaints."
Concluding, the Minister of Agriculture underlined that "all the factors that contribute to extinguishing the fire are particularly important. But the most important is the human factor, they are the forest officers, the forest firefighters, the firefighters, the firefighting volunteers, the Civil Defense, the Game Fund, all of whom fight the flames every summer and to whom we owe gratitude."
CNA
