THE ACTION OF VOLUNTEER GROUPS IN FIRES IS REGULATED BY LAW - WHAT PARLIAMENT VOTED FOR - Filenews 27/3 by Theodora Nikolaou
The Parliament approved the adoption of legislation regulating the action and contribution of groups of specialized volunteers.
The Law of 2026 on the Regulation of Actions and the Contribution of Groups of Specialized Volunteers in the State Services of the Republic, which was a law proposal by Irini Charalambidou, aims to regulate uniform issues related to the participation of specialized volunteers in enterprises of state services and in particular issues related to their registration in a relevant register (for each state service - e.g. Fire Brigade or Game Service - depending on their voluntary action), their operational control, their training and personal protective equipment, the mission and framework of action of the groups of specialized volunteers, the possession and use of fire trucks and/or other vehicles by these teams and the obligation of employers to facilitate volunteer employees in the provision of their services as specialized volunteers.
Among other things, the law provides that a person who has been previously convicted of an offense in relation to causing a fire will not be able to acquire the status of a specialized volunteer, regardless of whether this was subsequently rehabilitated under the provisions of the Law on the Rehabilitation of Convicted Persons.
The Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, was also present at the plenary session of the House today, as well as groups of volunteers who closely followed the vote.
Irene Charalambidou, taking the floor, referred to the difficult times we experienced last summer with the fires in mountainous Limassol, making special reference to the contribution of volunteers. As she said, they showed that with proper training and operational coordination that they can help. Ms. Charalambidou thanked the Ministry of the Interior who supported the proposal and together they came to a unanimous text.
As he explained, the new legislation establishes a single registration procedure for groups, establishes training and certification of volunteers, creates a clear framework for operational control, regulates issues of equipment and operational vehicles and sets out provisions for protection and civil liability. "This enhances the operational readiness of volunteers," he concluded.
Disagreements between Themistocleous and ELAM
Andreas Themistocleous disagreed with the passage of the law, saying that it lifts the concept of volunteering. In the recent fire, as he said, hundreds of volunteers ran and helped. "If they had expected state coordination, the entire mountainous Limassol would have burned, not excluding the Troodos forest," he stressed.
ELAM was also against it, with Linos Papagiannis stating that the volunteers are worthy of congratulations and that this proposal will help to exclude them. "All this prerequisite paperwork will lead to the opposite result," he added.
Responding to the concerns expressed by MPs, Ms. Charalambidou stressed that this proposal was initiated by the volunteers themselves, recognizing through their experiences in the field that there must be an institutional framework. "The volunteers who are on the front line are satisfied with the framework," he continued.
In his intervention, Mr. Papagiannis said that in recent days groups of specific volunteers have been calling and do not have the same opinion.
The law proposal was passed into law with 42 votes in favour and 4 against (Andreas Themistocleous and ELAM MPs).
The Minister of the Interior welcomes
The Minister of the Interior issued a written statement welcoming the adoption of the draft law for the institutionalization of the operating framework for the groups of specialized volunteers.
"The bill, which is an initiative of MP Ms. Irini Charalambidou, was co-formulated through close cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, the Civil Defense, the Fire Service, the Police, the Department of Forests, the Game and Fauna Service and the Ambulance Service. Recognizing the crucial role of volunteers in preventing and dealing with natural and man-made disasters, the new law establishes the operating framework for teams of specialized volunteers. Our goal is to strengthen coordination between government agencies and volunteer groups, as well as to maximize and more effective use of volunteers in emergencies.
Among other things, as he explains, the creation of a Register of Groups of Specialized Volunteers is planned, in which all recognized active groups will be recorded. The teams will express interest in registering in the Register of a specific state agency, which will be responsible for training them for the possible scenarios in which they will be called upon to assist. At the same time, issues related to the training, preparation and equipment of the teams are regulated, as well as the conditions for obtaining the status of specialized volunteer.
According to the minister, "today's development is an important step in the effort of the Ministry of the Interior to reorganize the civil protection sector and is part of a broader policy of strengthening volunteer groups. In this context, it is recalled that, in September 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the extension of insurance coverage of all groups of volunteers who assist in the prevention and extinguishing of fires. In addition, Civil Defense volunteers are provided with personal equipment and training is provided to enhance their operational readiness."
"I would like to express special thanks to Ms. Charalambidou and her team for promoting the law proposal and for the excellent cooperation throughout the preparation of the final text. The adoption of the law is yet another example of how cooperation between the legislative and executive branches contributes substantially to serving the public interest," he concluded.
