Filenews 30 January 2026 - by Vassos Vassiliou
The establishment of high-performance volunteer teams to deal with all forms of natural disasters is provided for by a bill by MP Irini Charalambidou, which began to be discussed before the Parliamentary Committee on the Interior.
At the end of the session, Ms. Charalambidou stated that the proposal was extensively consulted with all relevant Departments and that the relevant text was agreed after an exchange of views with the state services involved.
In contrast to the occasional groups of volunteers who act in various incidents, the "Teams of Specialized Volunteers" will be more organized, will have a defined mission from the government departments involved and, de facto, will act with more discipline and control of action.
As stated in the draft law, the purpose of the establishment and action of the Groups of Specialized Volunteers is: "To provide assistance to the state Services of the Republic of Cyprus and to strengthen their work, inter alia, against the risks of fires, floods, natural disasters, disasters, search for missing persons, assistance in the provision of health care in crisis situations, evacuation of homes and the provision of humanitarian aid and relief to the affected and others incidents, within the framework defined by this law, with the voluntary participation of specialized volunteers, who are members of the Teams".
More specifically, the Teams of Specialized Volunteers participate together with the state Services in the following operations:
>> Extinguishing fires, taking measures to prevent them, patrolling to detect fires, providing assistance to those at risk from them, actions aimed at protecting human life, the environment, animals and property at risk of fires.
>> Dealing with risks and damages caused by floods, earthquakes, collapses, natural disasters and other disasters.
>> Searches for locating persons and/or other investigations.
>> Pumping water from flooded premises and/or other places, caused by rainfall and/or flooding and/or other causes, natural and non-natural.
>> Providing supportive assistance to the Ambulance Service call center for informing citizens in crisis situations and/or providing basic first aid under the supervision and control of the Ambulance Service and/or participating in the logistics of the Ambulance Service and/or participating in the distribution of supplies, materials and equipment and/or providing support to citizens who do not need immediate field care and/or administrative support in the mobile supply centers healthcare.
>> Evacuate homes and/or provide humanitarian aid and relief to those affected.
>> For any other activity for which they will receive relevant instructions from the State Service.
>> Following instructions from the State Service, a Team of Specialized Volunteers may: (a) Enter and, if necessary, violate any fencing of a premises or premises or place where a fire broke out, or enter any private or state property or place that it is necessary to enter for the purpose of extinguishing a fire or protecting the premises or place from acts performed for firefighting purposes, without the consent of the owner or its holder and (b) does everything deemed necessary to extinguish the fire or to protect against the fire or from the above mentioned acts.
The members of the Teams of Specialized Volunteers can operate in enterprises of state services, after they have received, in person, a relevant certification from the state Service.
The Specialized Volunteer Group can be a non-profit organization or a foundation or association, which is registered in a Register of Specialized Volunteer Groups, in accordance with the provisions of the proposed legislation.
The teams will cooperate and support the Fire Service, the Forestry Department, the Ambulance Service, the Police and the Civil Defense.
Every candidate qualified volunteer must be certified by the State Service and obtain this status. The status of specialized volunteer is acquired when the candidate volunteer completes the necessary training that will be determined by the head of the state service. Volunteers are trained and retrained, at regular intervals, in all the subjects in which they will be called to operate with their Teams, by the competent State Service.
Furthermore, the purpose of the proposed law is to enact legislation to regulate the action and contribution of specialized volunteers to state services.
