The Fire Service aims at the operation of the Operations Coordination Center within the next week, as reported to the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, during his tour of the facilities of ESKYPY, at the Fire Brigade Headquarters, in Lakatamia on Tuesday, after its inauguration.
The Center is initially expected to operate to cover the province of Nicosia and the goal is to expand its operation until the end of the year, in order to cover all districts. At this stage, the training of the staff staffing the Center is completed, for the use of the software program that connects ESKEPY with the central stations of the Fire Brigade in each province, but also with the vehicles of the Fire Brigade, through tablets installed in them.
The President of the Republic was given a tour of the halls of ESKEPY, where there is infrastructure for the operation of 14 communication lines. As mentioned to the President, at this stage the Center operates in shifts of six people and up to 12 members of the force can be called up to staff it, if necessary. With his contribution, there will be a more immediate mobilization of forces, with clearer information, and no calls will be missed, as mentioned during the tour of the President.
All calls that reach 112 and concern the Fire Brigade will be referred to the Center, as mentioned, and from there, through the software system, the Center's officials will be able to know the extent and criticality of the incident, to immediately inform the fire stations, but also to mobilize vehicles directly by notifying a signal on the tablets. The system will indicate which station is responsible for incident management and how many vehicles need to be mobilized.
In addition, in the area of ESKEPY there are systems that will allow the monitoring of the situation throughout Cyprus. As mentioned, the process for the installation of 15 fire sensors in industrial areas and other critical infrastructure is expected to proceed soon, while the approval of the fund for the plan for sensors in forest areas is also expected.
Welcoming the inauguration ceremony, President Christodoulidis noted that this project "is a substantial investment in the safety of citizens and the operational readiness of our country".
He noted that a project with a budget of €6.5 million is co-financed by the Cohesion Fund of the European Union under the "THALIA 2021-2027" Program and falls within the framework of Priorities for the promotion of adaptation and resilience to climate change as well as disaster risk prevention.
"Its 24-hour operation, the utilization of technology and the immediate management of information in practice mean one thing: faster decisions, better coordination and, by extension, this is the most important, most effective protection of human life," said the President, stressing the importance of ESKEPY.
He explained that, due to the climate crisis, extreme weather events, technological risks and new forms of threats, resilience is a key concept. He also added that at the European level, the debate on security and resilience is becoming increasingly important.
"That is why the EU is investing in capabilities that strengthen not only national preparedness, but also the overall European effort for security and stability," the President noted, pointing out the importance of the creation of the European Regional Air Firefighting Hub in Cyprus following the announcement of the President of the European Commission last September.
"This is a flagship project of the Pact for the Mediterranean, which strengthens regional cooperation and our collective preparedness in the face of natural disasters," he said. "The hub will act as a critical bulwark against the challenges in our region, which has particular challenges due to climate change," he added.
He said that initially six firefighting aircraft will be stationed there. "With the co-funding of the European Union, we are already working to host more aircraft, while it will also act as a center of excellence for best practices and knowledge exchange," he added, stressing that the project is in the final phase of implementation and the inauguration will take place very soon, in the presence of the President of the European Commission.
He assured the members of the Fire Brigade of the support of the State, saying that it invests in them "not only with words, but with deeds, with the strengthening of means, with the upgrading of infrastructure and with the utilization of technology".
"The Unified Coordination Center for Fire Service Operations strengthens the capabilities of our State," said the President and concluded by underlining that the State is present and that its services are ready to respond when the need arises, immediately, in a coordinated and effective manner.
In his own address, the Chief Fire Marshal, Nikos Longinos, noted that the Unified Coordination Center of Operations of the Fire Service aspires to be the core of a modern, flexible and effective crisis management mechanism.
"Undoubtedly, the operation of the Unified Operations Coordination Center radically changes the way emergency calls are received and managed," he said. "The integration of information, rapid data analysis and direct coordination of forces in the field lead to faster decisions, better utilization of available resources and, ultimately, more effective protection of human life and property," he explained. He also underlined that interoperability with other services is being enhanced.
He pointed out that the multidimensional work of the Fire Brigade requires continuous upgrading, high professionalism and a strong sense of responsibility and thanked the Ministry for the continuous support to the force, both in terms of modernization of equipment and in strengthening human resources, training and infrastructure, proves in practice its commitment to our mission.
Mr. Longinos announced, in this context, that the delivery of the new Ayia Napa Fire Station, a project worth approximately 8 million euros, as well as the Pachna Rural Fire Station is expected soon, while at the same time, projects are underway concerning the fire stations of Larnaca, Eptagonia and Pegeia, which will substantially strengthen our operational presence in strategic points throughout Cyprus.
