Greece braces for unprecedented fire season with early measures and new strategies
Greeks have already started preparing for the worst scenario. "It will be a very tough fire season, a very difficult summer," warned Vassilis Kikilias, the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece, quoted by the AP agency.
4 May 2024 08:01
Usually, the start of the fire season in Greece is on the first day of May, but this year, the authorities announced it much earlier, as early as mid-April. Due to high temperatures, low rainfall, and strong wind, fire prevention measures were implemented at the earliest in history.
They have reasons for concern
Greece is doubling the number of firefighters in specialized units this year to about 1,300. They plan to use the United States' experience in fighting fires. Expecting a difficult season, the Greeks, therefore, focused on training and new fire extinguishing methods.
"Using water is no longer our main weapon against fire, but our tools. We are adopting a more scientific approach to fires, calculating air moisture and wind," said firefighter Dimitris Priftis to AP.
Major investments
Greece has launched a disaster response enhancement program worth £1.8 billion. With funds mostly from the European Union, they have ordered water-dropping aeroplanes, drones, fire trucks, training facilities, and a sensor network utilizing artificial intelligence, which is supposed to detect early signs of smoke and flooding. As AP points out, the new equipment will arrive in Greece but not before 2025.
As local media point out, last year fire consumed approximately 1,750 square kilometres of Greek territory. The past winter was also the warmest in the history of national measurements. Unfortunately, the forecasts for this season are not optimistic.
