A meeting on fire prevention, based on meteorological data and the forecast that the next few days are considered difficult due to high temperatures and heat, was convened for next Tuesday by the Chief Fire Marshal of the Fire Service, Nikos Longinos, as general national fire coordinator.
This was stated to KYPE on Saturday by the Spokesman of the Fire Service, Andreas Kettis, adding that the purpose of the meeting, which will take place at 08:15 at the Headquarters of the Fire Service, at the Coordination Center, with the participation of all the competent services, state and others, "is to decide the emergency measures, which we must take, based on the meteorological data and the forecast that the next few days are considered difficult, due to high temperatures and heat."
"The Fire Service has done enough to work very hard in preventing a fire and to be ready for any incident," he underlined.
"Essentially, the damage that a large fire can cause is very little, in terms of cost, when you do prevention," he added.
He said that within 2026 the Fire Brigade has responded to 1.350 fires, of which more than 10% "could develop into very bad fires".
He said that a large percentage of fires are due to negligence and called on the public "not to underestimate any activity they do", such as, among others, cigarette butt disposal, deliberate burning (such as grass cleaning), outdoor work, hot tools and garbage disposal that is a source of ignition. He added that some brainless people also set fire to the garbage they dispose of.
"With the existing environmental conditions, it is very easy for a fire to start and spread," he stressed.
Mr. Kettis said that some fires are not accidental but malicious and called on the public to provide information, monitor, observe and inform the competent authorities about suspicious movements.
He also said that the management of a fire is not easy at all and the humidity of the flammable material and the atmosphere, the most important is the amount and type of flammable material, the soil and the winds, among other things, play a role in this.
Mr. Kettis told KYPE that "a very important measure, which was given to us by the Ministry of the Interior, is to secure land forwarders and tankers, with a budget of more than €1.2 million", which are on alert, in strategic points in the provinces of Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos.
"The use of these earth thrusters in a fire and the tanker for water supply is very important in suppression and the creation of fire lanes to stop a fire but also in the opening of roads to the pedestrian sections and the motorized equipment to be able to intervene in a fire," he added.
He said that the Fire Service has already put into operation the National Operations Coordination Center that has been created and installed with European funds, amounting to €6.5 million, with state-of-the-art machinery.
He also said that through the Ministry of Justice and Public Order "we are in the process of receiving 10 water supply tanks of 56,000 liters that will be placed in places that are not close to the sea and water dams so that "we are closer to the fire".
He also mentioned that this year fire prevention teams have been set up, with professional firefighters, investing in prevention and who have direct contact with the community leaders.
He also referred to the money given by the Ministry of the Interior, which should be allocated for fire prevention, as well as the fact that there are 850 registered garbage dumps throughout Cyprus, of which 250 have recently been identified by the Fire Brigade.
Referring to a series of measures taken, Mr. Kettis said that this year there are 13 primary aircraft, which are very important in suppressing fires, in addition to the secondary means of British bases.
He also mentioned that there are the helicopters of the Police, the National Guard as auxiliary means, but also the transnational collaborations they have with Israel and Greece as well as the European mechanism rescEU, which through the Ministry of Interior, the State of Defense, when we ask for their help, are willing to give the appropriate help.
He also said that we have installed a fairly satisfactory number of cameras in various areas, which visually cover a wide range of the countryside and there is a continuous and vivid image in the National Coordination Center for Operations of the Fire Brigade, but also in the local central fire stations.
He noted that the cameras are installed in the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos.
The Spokesperson of the Fire Brigade also stated that an additional 60 people have been hired as regular hourly paid staff with which the rural stations have been strengthened, while "we operate the observatories, from which there is live monitoring of areas".
He noted that the number of rural stations operating 24 hours a day has increased to 7, while he referred to the collaborations that the Fire Brigade has with other services.
"There is cooperation and we are all working towards the common goal and purpose of prevention and repression with some of these services," he added.
Mr. Kettis also referred to the contribution of the organized volunteer groups that were included in the action plans of the Fire Brigade.
He also said that the possibilities for receiving water have been identified throughout Cyprus and a large number of perforations have been recorded and added that the tender for electrooptical systems that will record and analyze a fire has been awarded.
He noted that these systems will be installed, in addition to all rural areas, also in industrial areas, but also in the energy center.
He also referred to the collaboration with the Department of Meteorology with the aim of prevention and to the teams of the Fire Brigade that operate drones.
He also said that during the critical hours of the day there are loaded firefighting planes that patrol various areas on the basis of meteorological data, while he also referred to the continuous patrols of motor vehicles.
The actions of other stakeholders for prevention
In addition, Mr. Kettis referred to the actions taken by all other competent departments and services for the prevention and suppression of fires.
Specifically, he said that the Ministry of Interior will grant credits totaling €3 million. to Community Service Clusters for the execution of the necessary works for the cleaning or cultivation of abandoned agricultural land or other areas and/or necessary pruning.
At the same time, it has increased the percentage of the subsidy of the Communities for the purchase of a single-cabin fire truck from 50% to 80% from May 2025. Since then, relevant requests have been approved by 54 Communities.
Mr. Kettis reminded that since April 24, a Decree of the Minister of the Interior has been published to prohibit the use of tools that cause sparks in the countryside when the weather conditions favor the spread of the fire.
The Ministry has revised the way in which the owners of private vehicles/machinery that assist in extinguishing fires are compensated, in order to make the terms of compensation more attractive and to solve the problem of their non-response.
Also important is the work of the District Administrations that proceed with the deforestation of grass from road supports and the cleaning of rural roads and inform the communities of their obligations regarding measures to prevent fires.
The District Administrations have also signed agreements with contractors for the placement of earth forwarders and tankers, which are on standby at strategic points in the districts of Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos.
In addition, the fire trucks of the District Administrations that have a water tank and a fire pump have been registered as "firefighting and/or other use", so that they can safely assist in extinguishing fires.
He stated that the District Administrations keep a Register of Volunteer Communities and are proceeding with the gradual equipping of volunteers with firefighting uniforms and dependency.
For its part, he noted, the Civil Defense has updated the "Polyvios" Plan, in consultation with the Community Councils and after on-site visits to all the Communities while it has carried out seven evacuation exercises in May-June 2026 and has informed all communities about the procedures to follow in the event of an evacuation.
The Fire Brigade Spokesperson reminded that from June 2 this year, the Public Warning System (CY-Alert) has also been put into operation.
The Civil Defense, he said, has created communication groups with the Community Presidents and the members of the Community Councils to send group messages from the Coordination Center in case of emergency, while keeping a record of the actions of the Civil Defense.
It has also provided 39 new wireless communication devices to high-risk communities for seamless communication purposes.
Referring to the Game and Fauna Service, he noted that it has an active participation in the prevention and extinguishing of agricultural and forest fires, carrying out patrols in the countryside on a 24-hour basis.
Indicatively, he said, in 2025 more than 300 calls from the Fire Service and the Department of Forests were responded to for help in extinguishing forest or rural fires. At least 25 fires across Cyprus were also identified and extinguished in the very early stages, without the need for the involvement of other services, he added.
The hunting service has 32 single-cabin fire trucks equipped with a water tank with a capacity of 500 to 600 liters and equipped with a water sprinkler, he added.
In relation to the Department of Forests, he said that it implements alert programs for forest employees, while it is responsible for the formation and operation of the Forest Fire Brigade.
It carries out an enlightenment campaign for the prevention of forest fires while coordinating the services and agencies involved in forest firefighting.
On May 19, he said, he organized the large-scale field exercise "Hephaestus 2026"
At the same time, it proceeded with the construction and maintenance of fire infrastructure within state forests, such as fire lookouts, water tanks, water spouts, helipads and fire safety systems.
According to Mr. Kettis, the Department of Forests is also responsible for vegetation management, cutting grass on roads located within state forests.
