Filenews 1 September 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The joint session of the Parliamentary Committees on the Interior, Agriculture and the Environment, held last Friday, confirmed that, despite the positive steps and the significant reinforcement in equipment, the long-standing problems of understaffing and the lack of professional planning in education and administration, continue to threaten effective fire protection of the place. Concern and concern for the management of forest fires and the operational readiness of the Department of Forests prevailed.
The reason was the deadly fire in mountainous Limassol that cost the lives of two people and caused huge destruction to properties and ecosystems. Sadness and the need for accountability were pervasive in the session.
In its written statement, the Employees Branch of the Department of Forests (PASYDY) thanked the committees for the opportunity to hear the voice of the people of the "warm front line". As they characteristically stated, forest officials (forest guards, forest firefighters and train drivers) fight the flames every day with professionalism and self-denial, often away from the spotlight.
They denounced, however, the collective disdainful criticism that the staff receives, stating that it is done "out of safety" and does not take into account the real working conditions and problems.
At the heart of the Branch's interventions was the chronic understaffing of the forest services. As they mentioned, while progress has been made in the recruitment of hourly paid personnel (e.g. forest firefighters and firefighters), the staffing with permanent forest employees, foresters and foresters is constantly decreasing.
◗ Indicative data: 2011: 293 forest employees, 2016: 284, 2021: 270, 2025: 265 (with 83 vacancies)
This weakening burdens existing personnel, who work gruelling hours, in tasks that go beyond forest firefighting and extend to the entire forest management.
The closure of the Forestry College a decade ago, without creating a university forestry program, led to a shortage of young qualified professionals. The situation was described as "scandalous".
From September 2025, the reopening of the College is expected, with 20 students in the first phase. However, the Branch points out that this is a temporary solution and reiterates the need for the creation of a relevant undergraduate program at CUT, as the Parliament had decided since 2003.
On the contrary, there is a very large number of vacancies in forest employees (over 90) as a result of the closure of the Forest College. This number is projected to increase in the next few years and possibly exceed 120 vacancies.
In order to alleviate the above problem, the Ministry of Agriculture has also requested and has approved the exemption of the recruitment of forest employees from the general government examinations. From 1/1/2026, the examination procedure will be followed by conducting a special written examination by an advisory committee of the Department of Forests, the recommendation of which will be based on the provisions of the Public Service Law and the selection criteria provided for in the provisions of the Law on the evaluation of candidates for appointment to the Public Service Law will be applied. This change concerns both the position of Forest Officer and Forest Conservator.
Ministry of Agriculture: Progress in equipment and structures
For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture presented an extensive and documented plan to strengthen the infrastructure and equipment of the Department of Forests.
According to the data, in 2025 the Department has 1,008 personnel, the highest number in its history. 108 new forest firefighters, firefighters and special vehicle operators were recruited. The fleet has been strengthened with 25 new fire trucks and another 17 are expected by 2026. In 2025, it has 14 aerial firefighting aircraft, the most ever owned by the Republic of Cyprus.
At the same time, the process of acquiring privately owned firefighting aircraft with the method of leasing has begun, while important steps have also been taken in the field of prevention, with new legislation and actions.
Special reference was made to the study on the overall management of rural fire protection. The Forestry Department Employees Branch shares the need for reorganization, but expresses strong concern about its implementation without consultation and without ensuring the necessary infrastructure and personnel.
They emphasize that any change must be made gradually and in coordination. The protection of forests must not be undermined for the sake of the countryside. A clear separation of responsibilities is needed, with an emphasis on prevention and not only on repression.
