The plan, as well as their concerns about the operational readiness to deal with the fires, were submitted to the parliamentary Committee on the Interior by the competent services.
The meeting reflected the prevention and suppression measures that are already in place, as well as the problems of the countryside that intensify the risks.
The Director General of the Ministry of the Interior, Elikkos Elias, referred to the improvement of coordination between the Services, the operation of an early warning system from the beginning of June, as well as the Government's decision to create a General Directorate of Civil Protection at the Ministry of the Interior, calling on the Commission to speed up the process of examining the bill before it.
The Deputy Chief of Police, Panikos Stavrou, described the role of the Force for the fires, focusing on three main axes:
1. Ensuring the unhindered movement of fire trucks with traffic facilities.
2. Providing assistance for the safe evacuation of citizens from the affected areas.
3. Ensuring the best possible coordination through the radios of the Police.
At the same time, Mr. Stavrou noted that since March 1, instructions have been given to all station masters to locate unknown roads for the Police, in order to facilitate any evacuation operations.
The issue of the depopulation of the countryside was highlighted in a strong way by the head of the Game Service, Pantelis Hatzigeros, underlining that "the abandonment of agriculture is the most critical risk factor, as rural areas have become dense with vegetation, making the task of extinguishing extremely difficult, while at the same time biodiversity and fauna are lost". Mr. Hatzigeros underlined the need to provide financial incentives to owners and growers so that the land can be cultivated again, but also the subsidy of livestock units so that they can be dispersed in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas.
Furthermore, he highlighted the problem of EAC cables, noting that in addition to fires, predator deaths are caused. Mr. Hatzigeros referred to a reaction on the part of the EAC for the undergrounding of cables, or for their insulation.
The Coordinator for the fires, Nikos Longinos, announced that for the first time since 1994, concerted efforts are being made to fully cover the countryside. In this context, he said, a study is underway at the Ministry of Justice for the creation of 14 new rural fire stations. Furthermore, he referred to a request for all existing stations to be manned on a 24-hour basis, enhancing their operational power.
According to Mr. Longinos, it has been arranged that from September 1 to 15, a special land team from Greece will be stationed in Platres, which will be integrated into the firefighting forces of the Department of Forests to help in the work of extinguishing the fires during this critical period.
From January 1, 2026 until today, 1.250 outdoor fires have been recorded, he said, stressing that 400 volunteers have been trained, surveillance cameras are operating, while 13 aircraft are already in the air. Particular reference was also made to the dangerous conditions in the Dead Zone, mainly due to the minefields.
The director of the Department of Forests, Savvas Ezekiel, said that the Department has been at maximum readiness since April 1. It raised the problem of owners refusing to maintain roads in forested communities, which endangers lives and reduces firefighting effectiveness. At the same time, he noted the sharp increase in drone surveillance hours from 200 hours in previous years to 1,000 hours in 2025.
The commander of the Civil Defense, Theodoros Lemoniatis, stated that the population evacuations are taking place on the basis of the "Polyvios" plan, while seven pan-Cypriot evacuation exercises have been carried out in communities and immediate notification systems are being implemented on mobile phones through the antennas.
