Today is expected to be the last day of operations by the two Cypriot firefighting aircraft involved in extinguishing the major fires in France. As stated by the National Coordinator of Civil Protection, Chief Fire Marshal, Nikos Longinos, as long as there is no deterioration of the situation, the process of their return to Cyprus will begin tomorrow.
Mr. Longinos said that the two aircraft sent by Cyprus "have contributed to a very large extent both to the suppression of the active front of the fire and to the treatment of resurgences".
"Today seems to be the last day that the aircraft will remain. If everything goes smoothly, they will operate today and tomorrow the process of their return to Cyprus will begin, unless conditions change dramatically and there are new instructions from the Civil Protection of France," he said.
As he said, the Cypriot aircraft are operating in an area of southwestern France, based at Perpignan airport, which is about 40 kilometers from the fire front.
Regarding the operational readiness of Cyprus, the Chief Fire Marshal assured that the country remains in full readiness, despite the dispatch of the two aircraft to France.
"We are on standby and alert 24 hours a day. Eleven aircraft remain in Cyprus, while there are also those of the Bases, which can be involved in firefighting operations," he said.
He added, however, that the effectiveness of aerial firefighting does not depend solely on the number of aerial means, but also on factors such as wind intensity, soil morphology, vegetation, temperature and relative humidity. As he noted, even in countries such as France and Spain, where more than 100 aircraft operate, there are cases in which fires remain particularly difficult to control.
Referring to the way the European rescEU mechanism works, Mr. Longinos explained that when a country faces serious fires, it submits a request through the European Civil Protection Mechanism to send aid. The request is then forwarded to countries that have pre-installed aerial means, which are examining whether they can respond.
In the case of Cyprus, as he said, the mission was made possible because there were no active large fire fronts.
He also added that, in addition to the pilots, each mission is accompanied by a technical and operational support team. Upon arrival in the host country, the team is informed by the local authorities about the special conditions of the area and is included in the operational planning until the completion of the mission and its release for return.
